Gaia's Revenge
by Voz
Summary: FINALLY COMPLETE!!!!! YEAH!! ALL RIGHT!! DO THE FUNKY CHICKEN!!...anyway this story takes place right after Gaia has been "defeated". Although I've labeled this fanfic as action/adventure, it's actually a mixture of every genre. R&r, please!
1. A New Age

Hey! How ya doin'? Name's Voz. (Well, screename, actually.) This here is my very first fanfic ever. Or should I say fanaticfic! Ok, let's get started. This is a Grandia(1) fanfic. I know it doesn't look like much now, but this story will grow to a huge size at an alarming rate. And I know that the first chapter is kind of lame, but aren't the first chapters of all stories that way? (No offense to anyone, okay?) Oh, and of course, I have nothing to do with the making of Grandia, and I do not in any way own any of Grandia's characters. However, in this story, the world of Grandia and its inhabitants are all mine to command! Anything can happen when I'm in control! So, be afraid, Justin! Be very afraid! And now finally, my fanfic. It starts off right after Gaia is defeated. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the story. R&R, please!!!  
  
GAIA'S REVENGE  
  
CHAPTER 1: A NEW AGE  
  
Justin blacked out. He was lying on the ground, and kept his eyes closed. He felt the grass brushing against his skin. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there, on the ground. The last thing he remembered was in some strange room. He was holding a sword, and standing beside him was the Icarian girl, Feena, looking hopefully at him. A large crystal was floating in the middle of the room. At first, they both just looked at it, inspired by a mixture of both awe and fear. Then, Justin brandished his sword, leaped into the air, and brought the sword crashing down upon the crystal. There was an intensely bright light, and he remembered nothing more. This memory seemed like it happened so recently, and yet, so long ago. It kept flashing through his mind over and over again.  
  
"-stin! Justin!" Justin heard someone calling him, in the middle of his fifteenth flashback. "Justin! Come on, wake up!" He opened his eyes. Feena was looking down at him. Finally, Justin remembered what had happened, and leapt to his feet.  
  
"Feena! You're all right! Gaia! What about Gaia?! Is it still alive? Did we destroy it? Did we--"  
  
"Calm down, Justin." Feena interrupted. "Yes, everything is all right. Just look for yourself." She pointed down into a grassy field. All around it, there were many people whom Justin had previously met on his journey to Alent. Rapp, Liete, Sue, everyone was chatting quite cheerfully in the field.  
  
"Wh-what about Gaia?" Justin asked.  
  
Feena pointed to the other side of the field. A huge conifer tree towered over the field, in the spot that used to be J Base.  
  
"That's Gaia?!" Justin asked, completely amazed.  
  
"Yes," answered Feena. "It seems that everything has been reborn. Not only Gaia, but the entire world as well."  
  
Justin was still staring at the huge tree. To think, what was once so deadly and nightmarish, was now so comforting and beautiful. Spirits could easily be seen dancing in the air around the giant tree. Everyone in the field seemed much happier than they had been before Gaia was defeated. Probably because Gaia's horrible Reign of Terror had finally ended, and everyone's fear of the promised apocalypse that Gaia would bring to the people of the world never came. This was obviously the beginning of a new era in global history. A new chapter added to the history books. A new day had come, a day of love, and peace, and joy that the world had never experienced before.  
  
Looking around, Justin noticed Mullen looking down at the field from the top of a hill. For the first time ever, Justin felt kind of sorry for Mullen. Unlike Justin, Mullen had lost his love, Leen, to the evils of Gaia. She had given her life for Mullen, and Mullen had secretly cherished her. Justin understood what Mullen must have been feeling. Justin had almost lost Feena in the same manner as Leen. Although Justin managed to rescue her, it was the most horrible experience Justin had ever felt, when Feena boarded onto that ship to give up her life for Justin. It felt so wonderful now, to know that Feena would not be killed. Mullen, however, could not experience this wonderful feeling. Leen was dead, and nothing more could be done about it.  
  
Justin watched him begin to walk away, when an intensely bright light illuminated near Mullen. Justin, Mullen, and Feena all watched the bright light, bedazzled. Finally, the light ceased, and in its place was Leen, body and soul. Justin couldn't hear them, being so far away, but he could see Mullen and Leen gazing in amazement at one another. Then, Mullen outstretched his arms, and Leen ran full speed towards him, leaping into his arms. Justin turned to Feena, and he could see a single tear of joy rolling down her cheek. Her twin sister was alive and whole.  
  
Suddenly, Feena shot past Justin and ran up the hill towards her sister. "Leen!" she called to her.  
  
"Hey, Feena, wait up!" Justin called, running after her.  
  
Leen finally broke away from Mullen. "Feena!" she called back. Finally reaching her, Feena and Leen wrapped their arms around each other. Justin finally caught up, panting heavily. The twins broke out of each other's arms.  
  
"But...how...is this possible?" Justin asked Leen in awe. "I...I saw you die."  
  
"I...really...don't...know," she replied. "The last thing I remember is back when I was on the turret, facing Gaia. Then, everything went black. After a second, there was this bright light, and I was here. But, we can't waste anymore time. Gaia must be destroyed...."  
  
"Sister," Feena interrupted. "Gaia's already been defeated. It's been two days since then."  
  
"Two days?!" Leen replied in surprise. "It felt like two seconds! What did I miss?" she asked eagerly.  
  
"Too much!" Justin answered, smiling.  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter," Leen replied. "I'm just relieved that all went well."  
  
After about an hour of talking with Leen and Mullen, Justin and Feena went down into the field, to talk with the rest of their friends.  
  
"Justin!" someone called to him. He looked over his shoulder to see Sue bounding towards him, Puffy following in the air.  
  
"Hey, Sue!" he called back.  
  
"Justin! You did it, Justin! You did it!"  
  
"Of course we did. We're the greatest!"  
  
Sue laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, Justin!" she said. "Don't ever change, okay?"  
  
"Hey, Sue, uh, how did you get here anyway? That orb could only be used once."  
  
"I know!" she replied. "I started the entire journey all over again from Parm! Like I told you, Parm just isn't any fun without you!" she reminded him, proudly.  
  
"But, what about your exhaustion?"  
  
"Oh, that. Well, all I had to do was travel at my own pace, and I caught up with you before I knew it. No offense, Justin, but you travel way too fast for me. It was actually your fault I collapsed!"  
  
Feena laughed, turning Justin's face scarlet.  
  
"See, Justin? I could make it! You just had to give me more time. And my aim has gotten better. Watch!" Sue pulled out her bow and loaded it with an arrow. She then pulled three apples out of her knapsack and tossed all three into the air at the same time. She then quickly pulled the arrow back on the string of her bow, aimed, and shot at the apples. This was all done in the same second, and when the arrow came down to the ground, all three apples were on it.  
  
"Whoa!!" Justin and Feena exclaimed together.  
  
Four hours passed. Justin, Feena, and Sue were standing on the hill again, overlooking the field. Everyone seemed a bit more cheerful since the world changed for the better, even those three demented sergeants, Nana, Saki, and Mio. This had to be the best day of Justin's young life, so far. But, some things have been nagging at the back of his mind for some time now.  
  
"Hey, Feena," he began.  
  
"Yeah?" she replied.  
  
"There are two things that have been bugging me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, here's the first thing. Even though Gaia's been defeated, I still have this feeling that our job's not yet finished. I mean, look." He pulled out his Spirit Sword. "This sword was given to me by the Spirits to help me save the world from Gaia. But, why would I still have this sword if Gaia's already been defeated?"  
  
"Justin, y-you don't suppose Gaia hasn't really been defeated, do you?" Justin could tell that Feena was scared. As she said this, he could hear her voice quivering.  
  
"I...don't...know," Justin replied. "Well, everything appears to be okay, so maybe we're worrying over nothing." He slid the sword back onto his belt.  
  
"I guess you're right. What's the other thing?"  
  
"Well, now that we've finally reached Alent, does this mean that our journey is over? I mean are we really just going to say 'the end', and finish our story here?  
  
"Justin, what are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying that I don't want to stop here." He looked towards the East. "I want to keep going east. I've got to know what lies beyond that ocean. Every time I try to fight my curiosity, I lose. My drive is that strong."  
  
"I know it is."  
  
"However, I'm not going unless you come with me, Feena. Of course, you don't have to, if you don't want to. So, what do you say?"  
  
"I'll go," she answered immediately, smiling.  
  
"Are you sure? This time, I won't know where I'm headed."  
  
"That makes it even more of an adventure. It's better not knowing, don't you think, Justin?"  
  
"You're right, Feena. It's boring when you know what's going to happen!"  
  
"Hold on, Justin!" Sue interrupted. "This time, you're not leaving without me!"  
  
"Well, I don't know, Sue. Do you think you can handle it?"  
  
"Hey, I've made it this far by myself, didn't I? But this time, do you think you can slow down for me?"  
  
"No problem, Sue. We've got all the time in the world! This time, though, don't try to act all grown up. It's up to you to tell us when you're getting tired, okay?"  
  
"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson."  
  
"Okay, then. We leave at dawn. Is that all right with you two?"  
  
"Dawn?!" Feena exclaimed. "I think we should all have a good rest first. Saving the world deprives you of energy, don't you think?" she said sarcastically.  
  
Justin laughed. "Okay, okay. How about noon tomorrow, then?"  
  
"That's better. Thanks, Justin," replied Feena.  
  
"Yeah. That's all right with me," answered Sue.  
  
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we start a whole new adventure!" Justin concluded.  
  
END OF CHAPTER 1  
  
Well, what do you think? What will our heroes meet on this new epic adventure? Is the horrible Gaia still alive? Will the world enjoy Voz's fanfic?  
  
I'd like to think so!  
  
Keep checking for chapter 2, it will be here before you know it! And don't forget to R&R, or suffer dark consequences! (Just kidding! I'm actually a really nice guy.) 


	2. Setting Off

CHAPTER 2:  
  
SETTING OFF  
  
The next day, after a good rest, Justin, Feena, and Sue were ready to set off to quench their everlasting thirsts for adventure. Just as they had taken their tent down and were ready to go, Feena asked if she could to say goodbye to her sister.  
  
"Well, okay. We have time," Justin answered.  
  
Ten minutes later, they found Mullen and Leen sitting together under an oak tree in the field.  
  
"Hey, Leen," Feena greeted her.  
  
"Hi, Feena," Leen replied, standing up.  
  
"I just came to say goodbye. We're going on another adventure."  
  
"Well, take care, then," Leen said, and they embraced briefly. "Come back, as soon as possible, Feena."  
  
"Don't worry, Leen. I will," Feena said, breaking away from her.  
  
While Feena and Leen chatted, Justin went over to Mullen. "So, what do you two plan on doing now?" Justin asked him.  
  
Mullen shrugged. "I don't really know," he answered. "But, sooner or later I do plan on asking Leen if she'd marry me."  
  
"Go for it!" Justin responded. "And, good luck."  
  
"Thanks," Mullen replied. "What about you? You and Feena, I mean."  
  
"We're going on another adventure," Justin answered. "We don't know where we're headed, or how long we'll be gone. But, that's what being an adventurer is all about."  
  
"I suppose," Mullen agreed. "Well, take care of yourself, Justin. Be safe. And remember that poison oak and poison ivy do not make good substitutes for toilet paper."  
  
Justin laughed. "Don't worry, Mullen. I've learned that a long time ago!"  
  
Finally, they said goodbye to Mullen and Leen, and came back to get Sue.  
  
"Say, Justin, where do you think we can get a boat to cross the ocean?" Sue asked.  
  
"Hmm.... Maybe Guido will know," Justin suggested.  
  
"Perhaps," Sue replied.  
  
Guido was in his tent near a cliff overlooking the field. They found him inside, counting his gold.  
  
"Hey, Guido!" Justin exclaimed.  
  
"Ah, Justin! What can I-a do for you?" Guido greeted him, pricking his ears up.  
  
"Well, we're planning on going on another adventure, and we were wondering if you know a way we can cross the ocean."  
  
"Hmm.... Which ocean is-a this?"  
  
"The one to the east of this continent."  
  
"Ah, you mean-a the Ocean of-a Death," Guido replied ominously. All three kids' eyes opened wide when they heard what the Mogay called this ocean.  
  
"The Ocean of...Death?!" Feena repeated. "Wh-why is it called that?"  
  
"Because," Guido began, "it has-a more monsters-a living in it-a than any other ocean on Earth."  
  
"Great," Sue murmured sarcastically.  
  
Justin began to feel a little nervous himself. Of all the types of monsters out there, sea monsters weren't exactly his favorite. Sea monsters were much larger than monsters you would find on land. Justin had to fight a few sea monsters during his journey to Alent. One was the Squid King, a fifty-foot giant squid with tentacles powerful enough to snap a man's spine in two with one swipe. But that was nothing compared to the Grinwhale, a particularly nasty monster to face, having an angler's lure with psychic powers that made any man who saw it to become helplessly infatuated with it, causing that man to just stand there, while the monster used this same lure to disembowel it's victim.  
  
"Well," Guido began again, "you can always-a borrow my-a boat. It's-a tied up at-a my private dock south of-a Laine."  
  
"Really? Thanks, Guido!"  
  
"For a price!" Guido said, in a really annoying singsong voice.  
  
"Uh, well, okay," said Justin. "How much?"  
  
"1,000 gold will-a do fine."  
  
Justin paid Guido, rather hesitantly. "Thanks, Guido!" he said.  
  
"No, thank-a you, Justin!" Guido said back, eying the newly achieved gold in his moneybag.  
  
Two hours later, Justin and his accomplices were already past Laine, and headed south.  
  
"Hey Justin, remember that?" Feena asked, pointing to the top of a mountain. Justin looked up at the peak of the mountain. There was a familiar light like a rainbow shooting straight into the sky. "Of course I remember," Justin answered. "That's where we were finally transported to Ale-AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!"  
  
Suddenly, something leapt out from the bushes and knocked Justin to the ground. Staggering to his feet, Justin reached for his sword when he noticed what it was that ambushed him.  
  
"Rapp!" Justin shouted, completely annoyed. "Rapp, what's wrong with you?! I could have killed you!"  
  
Rapp just laughed. "Sorry, Juss, but did you actually think you could leave me behind?"  
  
"Rapp, how long were you waiting here?" Feena asked.  
  
Rapp began to "digging for gold" in his nasal cavity as he thought. "Uh, ever since Guido said you could use his boat," he answered.  
  
"Wait a sec," Justin began. "How did you...have you been spying on us?!"  
  
Rapp suddenly put on a very mischievous look.  
  
"Did I miss something?" Sue asked, completely confused.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Sue, this is Rapp," said Justin. "Rapp, Sue."  
  
"Uh, hi," Sue greeted him, noticing his little finger tunneling through his nostril.  
  
"Hi," Rapp greeted back, pulling an enormous booger out of his nose and eating it.  
  
Sue was totally appalled.  
  
"Well," Rapp continued. "Ya want me to come with you or not?"  
  
"Well...what could it hurt?" Justin finally answered. "You know what they say, the more the merrier."  
  
Of course, Rapp was one of Justin's best friends, so how could Justin possibly turn him away?  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Lovers at Sea

CHAPTER 3: LOVERS AT SEA  
  
Two and a half hours later, Justin, Feena, Sue, and Rapp arrived at Guido's private dock. It wasn't at all like Justin imagined it would look. He somehow pictured it as painted golden, with the pillars carved to resemble carrots. However, when they had reached it, it looked like any ordinary dock. The boat wasn't bad, though. It was a large, wooden sailboat with just enough space for eight people.  
  
"Well, this is it," Justin announced. "Are we all set?"  
  
"Not yet," said Feena. "Everyone, give me all your maps."  
  
"Uh, okay."  
  
They gave Feena their maps, not knowing why. But before they could ask why, to their surprise, she had deliberately dropped the maps into the water.  
  
"Feena, what are you doing?!" Justin exclaimed in shock.  
  
"Didn't you say that adventures are better when you don't know where you're going?" she replied, smiling calmly.  
  
Justin smiled to himself. "I guess I did say that, didn't I?"  
  
Forgetting about the maps, the group boarded onto the boat, untied it, and rode out towards the horizon. They were headed for Who-Knows-Where, and they could hardly wait to get there.  
  
By seven in the evening, they had already traveled about 100 miles, and the shore could no longer be seen. They were all on deck, eating dinner.  
  
"So, Justin, what do you think we'll find out there?" Sue asked, trying to strike up a conversation.  
  
"I don't know," he answered. "All I know is that the world can't go as far as East Elencia and then just stop. I'll bet our planet is even bigger than any of us could ever imagine."  
  
"Hmm.... Justin, do you think the world could be never ending?" Feena asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Well, I kind of doubt that, but then again, it is possible."  
  
"Well, if the world does have an end, what do you think we'll do if we see everything?"  
  
Justin had never thought of that before. What if they did see everything? Adventures wouldn't be necessary anymore.  
  
"I think," he began, "that when that happens, humans will become extinct."  
  
Feena almost choked on her food when she heard him say this. "What?! Why?"  
  
Justin smiled playfully. "Because everyone would all die of boredom!"  
  
Sue looked towards the west. "Wow, look at that sunset!"  
  
Everyone looked west. Half of the sun was peeking up over the horizon, coloring the entire sky and sea a magnificent shade of red and orange.  
  
Justin had to admit that it was the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. He turned to Feena sitting next to him. Obviously, she was thinking the same thing.  
  
Feena looked back at Justin, and smiled at him comfortingly. He smiled back. They continued to stare affectionately at each other for a few minutes.  
  
Justin and Feena had been close friends for almost three weeks now, but ever since Justin rescued her from Gaia, he secretly felt that they were a little more than just close friends. And Feena had never told Justin before, but it seemed that she felt the same way about him, too.  
  
After a while, everyone went to bed. There were four hammocks hanging up inside the boat. Each hammock was quite comfortable, so they all fell asleep pretty quickly...except Justin.  
  
Justin was lying wide-awake in his hammock. He couldn't sleep. He was too eager about reaching land to sleep. Plus, Rapp was snoring way too loudly to let Justin sleep. At first, Justin thought that he was the only one awake, but then he saw Feena sit up on her hammock. She sighed, stood up, and walked out on deck. Instinctively, Justin got up and followed her. It was pretty chilly outside, so he walked out with his blanket wrapped around him.  
  
It was a quiet, full moon night, with all of the stars clearly visible, and the waves gently licking at the sides of the boat. Justin found Feena sitting next to the ledge, looking up at the stars.  
  
"Feena, what are you doing out here?" he asked her, sitting down beside her.  
  
"I couldn't sleep," she replied, still looking towards the heavens. "The 'chainsaw' in the hammock next to you wouldn't shut itself off."  
  
Justin laughed quietly.  
  
She looked at Justin. "You can join me, if you want," she offered, smiling.  
  
"All right, but it's freezing out here," he announced. "You can have my blanket."  
  
"Thanks," she said, taking Justin's blanket and wrapping it around herself. "What about you?"  
  
"A little chilliness can't hurt me," he told her.  
  
Feena giggled. "You really haven't changed a bit."  
  
Soon, however, Justin began to shiver.  
  
"Justin, your teeth are chattering."  
  
"No, they're not."  
  
"I can hear them. Go ahead, take some of the blanket."  
  
Soon, Justin gave in, and Feena opened the blanket for him to curl into. He then grabbed his side of the blanket and wrapped it around himself and Feena.  
  
They stared at each other again. Justin felt something inside him as he looked into Feena's big eyes. It was like what he felt when he was talking with Feena back on Gadwin's boat, the Sea Dragon, except that it felt much stronger now. For some strange reason, he could feel his own heart beating in his chest, and it was beating stronger and faster than it had ever beaten.  
  
He continued to gaze at her. The light from the moon was flowing into her green eyes, making them shine like newly cut emeralds. A small breeze began to blow, causing her green hair to gently dance, like a field of tall, fresh grass on a windy day.  
  
Feena smiled at Justin affectionately and he smiled back, gazing even deeper into her jewel-like eyes, moving his face closer to hers. The tips of their noses were almost touching, as they continued to stare at one another.  
  
Suddenly, and without thinking, Justin closed his eyes, leaned forward and kissed Feena's soft, warm lips. When he broke away from the kiss, it took a while for him to realize what had just happened. "Uh, I-I'm so sorry, Feena! I shouldn't have just leapt on to you like that! What was I thinking?!"  
  
To his surprise, Feena was still smiling at him. "It's all right," she reassured him. "You've done nothing wrong." She kissed him back, causing his heart to beat even faster and harder. "Justin, what would you do if I said that I love you?" They kissed again, this time putting their arms around each other.  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"Yes. I...I love you, Justin. I wouldn't have tried to die for you if I didn't." They kissed once again, even more passionately. "Do you love me, too?"  
  
"Of course. I would have let you die for me if I didn't." And with that, they locked each other in their arms, and kissed so passionately that they sank to the floor.  
  
Justin rolled over to lie on top of Feena, and pulled the blanket over them. He ran his fingers through her feather-soft hair as they kissed. He untied her hair, and removed her accessories, letting her hair flow freely under her head. "Tell me, Feena. How did you get so beautiful?" he asked her. Feena pulled Justin's shirt over his head, and removed her top. They continued to kiss, holding each other tightly in their arms.  
  
They pulled away from each other's lips. Feena looked up at Justin, and smiled lovingly at him. They had each wanted this to happen for so long. A few moments later, Feena nodded her head back, and fell asleep in Justin's arms. Justin rested his head next to hers, and lightly kissed her cheek, and she smiled and tightened her grip around him.  
  
That night, as Feena slept, Justin could feel her heart beating against her ribs. He knew that nothing would hurt them as they slept, but he still had this urge to hold and protect her all night. She feels so delicate, he thought as he held her nimble body. She seemed so precious right now, more than gold, or silver, or diamonds could ever be. Soon, Justin was succumbed by his own drowsiness, and he joined Feena in her deep sleep, feeling her heart beating next to his.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	4. Terror of the Deep

CHAPTER 4:  
  
TERROR OF THE DEEP  
  
Justin was standing in the grassy field near J Base. The sky was thick with storm clouds, giving the field an ominous black covering. The tree that was once Gaia was towering above him. It no longer seemed beautiful and comforting. It now looked down at Justin menacingly, like a man-eating giant that had found it's next helpless victim. Suddenly, the ground shook, causing Justin fall to the ground. Then, the bark of the wicked- looking tree began to crack, as if some creature hatching out of an egg. A purple mist sprayed out of the cracks in the tree. The cracks grew larger, and a black tar-like slime seeped out of them, and ran down the tree's sides. The tree began to expand, as if something were pushing on to the walls of the tree from the inside. Then, the tree exploded, sending the tree's pine needles and shards of bark flying everywhere. Where the tree once stood, there was now a purple cloud of mist hovering in midair. When the mist finally cleared, a crater could be seen where the tree once stood. To Justin's horror, familiar looking tentacles then shot out of the crater in all directions. He then saw the ground splitting in front of him. He ran in the other direction, but ground then split beneath him, and he screamed as he fell through the ground and down into nothing.  
  
Justin gasped, opened his eyes, and sat up. He was on Guido's ship again, under the blanket with Feena. He had awoken her.  
  
"Justin, what's wrong?" she asked him, concerned. She had never seen him look so scared before.  
  
"Uh, it's nothing, Feena. Just a bad dream." But, he was covered with a cold sweat. He kissed her forehead to comfort her. "I'm fine, really. Go back to sleep." However, it didn't seem to him like just another nightmare. It felt so real.  
  
Just as they were about to fall back to sleep, a loud thunderclap woke them up again. They immediately looked up, and saw storm clouds all around them, emitting bolts of light quite rapidly. The wind began to howl, and the waves grew larger and larger.  
  
Justin and Feena quickly stood up and put their tops back on, and Feena redid her hair. Then, the rain started to pour down...HARD.  
  
This was no ordinary storm. This was a work of Mother Nature that even the bravest of sailors feared. This was the king of the storms...the mighty hurricane.  
  
The gentle ocean quickly turned violent. A rogue wave ran across the boat, hitting Justin and Feena hard, and sending them clear to the other side of the deck.  
  
Sue and Rapp came out on deck, and were knocked down by another rogue wave. "Justin!" Sue cried. "What's going on?!"  
  
"This is a hurricane, Sue!" he yelled back. "Stay away from the ledge, and hold on to something!"  
  
All of a sudden, a huge black something rose above the water, and dived back down. At first, Justin thought it was a whale. He was told that they were migrating at this time of year. But then, however, the black shape charged at the boat with such force that Justin was sent over the ledge and into the dark ocean.  
  
Blackness enclosed around him as he felt his eyes sting with the salt water. It was now clear to him that the black thing was no whale. Whales usually don't charge boats unless they are being harpooned. Completely submerged, Justin soon spotted the huge black shape speeding through the darkness towards him. As the black silhouette came closer and closer, he felt hands grab him from under his shoulders as Rapp and Feena pulled him back onto the boat. Looking back, Justin saw a long pair of jaws with six- inch pointed teeth come shooting out of the water where he was submerged.  
  
There was a thunderclap, and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the mast of the boat, setting the sails ablaze. As they watched in horror, the fire quickly spread down the mast. Soon, the fire burned completely through the middle of the mast, and it toppled down towards them.  
  
Everyone managed to run below deck just as the fiery sails came down. Feena grabbed the radio to send out an SOS, but all they could hear was static.  
  
"Uh, guys," Sue began.  
  
"Not now, Sue!" Justin scolded, trying to help Feena with the radio.  
  
"Guys!"  
  
"I said not now, Sue!"  
  
"Will you just listen to me?!"  
  
"Oh, fine! What?!," Justin screamed angrily, spinning around.  
  
Sue pointed down. "We're getting flooded."  
  
Everyone looked down. The room was flooded with water up to their waists. They were so busy fooling around with the radio that they hadn't noticed!  
  
They ran back up on deck. The ship was sinking! The stern was raised high above the water, the propeller still spinning. The blazing mast had slid into the ocean, but the ship was still on fire.  
  
"This is bad, guys!" Justin screamed.  
  
"And, I think it's just gotten worse!" said Rapp, pointing into the ocean.  
  
The mysterious black shape was speeding towards them, rose above the water, and slid onto the deck of the sinking ship.  
  
For the first time, Justin had a good look at the monster. It was black, with a white underbelly. It looked like a 60-foot crocodile, except that it had large flippers instead of legs, no scales, and a short tail.  
  
Rapp was right. Things did get worse. Now, when the ship would finally sink, instead of going into the ocean, they would go straight into the sea monster's waiting jaws!  
  
The monster opened its huge mouth wide, and emitted a loud hiss that would chill anyone's blood cold. One snap of those jaws could effortlessly reduce a human to a bloody piece of meat.  
  
Everyone held on to the railing as the ship tilted to a 90-degree angle, causing the ship to slowly slide down into the water, bringing the adventurers closer and closer to the creature's snapping jaws.  
  
Justin knew that this would be it. They would eventually be close enough to the monster for it to wrap its jaws around them, pull them below the surface, and rip them apart.  
  
They were now only fifteen feet away from the beast. Justin could feel its hot stinking breath, and barely see his reflection in its large, black eyes, black as death.  
  
"Well, what are we gonna do now, Juss?" Rapp asked pitifully.  
  
Justin began to lose his grip on the railing. His hands were too sweaty for him to hold on much longer. Another rogue wave slammed against the side of the boat, causing him to let go of the railing and slid down the deck towards the creature. Feena attempted to grab his hand, but she was too late. Justin pulled out his sword, but before he could use it, to everyone else's horror, he slid into the creature's jaws, which immediately closed with a loud 'snap'.  
  
"J-Justin," Feena muttered in disbelief. Tears began to collect in her eyes as she thought of the only boy who had ever truly loved her.  
  
However, Justin wasn't going down the monster's throat without a struggle. Everyone soon noticed that the monster stopped moving. Blood flowed out of its mouth, its eyes rolled back into its head, and it slid into the ocean. But, it didn't dive. It just floated in the water. It was dead. The monster's jaws opened, and Justin fell out and into the ocean. And when everyone looked back at the creature, they saw the hilt of Justin's sword sticking out of the roof of the creature's mouth. When Justin was inside the monster's mouth, he took his sword, and jabbed it through the roof of its mouth and through its brain. Justin swam back, and retrieved the sword. Once again, sheer luck had saved his ass. He was beginning to think that perhaps he had a guardian angel, or something like that.  
  
Feena slid down the deck and into the rough water, where she swam up to Justin and wrapped her arms around his neck, her tears flowing like a river. She didn't care if he was covered with blood. All that mattered was that Justin was alive.  
  
Justin held her tightly. But, then a rushing sound was heard from the boat, disrupting the romance. The fire had grown stronger, and it had spread to the inside of the boat.  
  
"Hey, Feena," Justin began, pushing her away. "What's gonna happen if the fire spreads to the boat's fuel tanks?"  
  
Feena's eyes opened wide. "Rapp!! Sue!! Get off the boat!!," she screamed.  
  
Rapp and Sue quickly dived over the railing and into the sea.  
  
What happened next was just what Feena thought would happen. The stern exploded, sending splintered rafters and flames all over the place. The propeller, which was still spinning at the time, was blown off of the boat and flew towards Justin's direction. He dived under the water just as the spinning blades flew over his head.  
  
The hurricane raged on, and everyone grabbed the mast, which had floated towards them. Everyone held on, as the enormous waves carried the survivors away from the shipwreck and into the blackness of the storm.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	5. Unknown Territory

CHAPTER 5:  
  
UNKNOWN TERRITORY  
  
The storm carried on for only a few more hours, but it felt like an eternity for Justin. He continued to hold onto the mast as the storm raged on.  
  
The ride through the sea was not a pleasant one. Giant waves would continuously pass under our heroes, sending them up, and up, and up, and then plummeting them back down, and down, and down, making the ocean seem more like one giant roller-coaster.  
  
This had to be the most frightening, not to mention the most nauseating, experience for the adventurers. Not only did they taste their dinner over and over again in their mouths, but they also felt very uncomfortable with the fact that another sea monster might be under them at that very moment.  
  
Justin kept hearing Guido's words over and over again in his mind. 'This ocean has-a more monsters-a living in it-a than any other ocean on Earth.' Justin could almost feel razor sharp teeth being jabbed into his legs.  
  
And, sometimes, they actually did feel something brush against their bodies, which I can tell you, is very horrifying when you are out in the ocean.  
  
Soon, despite the rolling waves, flashing lightning, and their constant fear, Justin and his friends finally drifted off to sleep.  
  
It was a while before Justin finally woke up, but when he did, he noticed that sand was lying under him. The sounds of seagulls could be heard. What remained of Guido's boat, mostly boards and rafters, had washed up on top of him.  
  
He kept his eyes closed. He knew the storm was over, and that he had reached land, but he was too exhausted from a night of endless nervousness and vomiting.  
  
Finally, he opened his eyes. He could tell that the sun had come out, despite the fragments of wood that covered his entire body. Standing up, he pushed his blanket of wood aside, and blinked at the scene before him. Everyone else was still asleep beside him. "Hey, everyone! Come on, get up! Look at this!"  
  
They all woke up, rubbing their eyes. When their eyes opened, they just stared at what lay before them. They were on a beach, completely uninhabited. Although there were many footprints in the sand, not one belonged to a human. Justin had discovered an entirely new continent. It was a beautiful beach, complete with palm trees, blue water, and white sand. Up and down the beach, as far as the eye could see either way, seals could be seen and heard. It was the seals' breeding season, and the huge bulls could easily be seen towering over the sea of females and their pups.  
  
Sue had always thought of seals as cute, friendly animals. However, when she spotted two bulls fighting for dominance at the water's edge, she wasn't so sure anymore. The roaring bulls had their heads raised threateningly, and where using their sharp teeth to violently bite into each other's mane-covered necks, sending water and blood flying upwards all around them.  
  
"I knew it!" Justin exclaimed. "I knew the world doesn't stop at East Elencia! I was right! And I've discovered a new continent! I think I'll call it 'Justinia'!  
  
"Hold on a sec, Justin," Feena interrupted. "Yeah, we're on an undiscovered continent. That's great and all, but how do you plan to get back off of it?" Once again, Feena had pointed something out that Justin hadn't.  
  
"Uh...well, Feena...we...could...uh...wait, let me think...uh.... We're marooned."  
  
"Marooned?" Rapp repeated. "What do ya mean, 'marooned'? We could just build another boat, couldn't we?"  
  
"Rapp, when I was younger, I couldn't build a model boat that didn't sink."  
  
"And that's not the only problem," Feena began again. "Since no one knows about this continent, we don't know what's on it either. It all seems calm now, but this place could be extremely dangerous."  
  
"Wow," Sue exclaimed, pointing to the ground. "Look at the size of this sea shell!" She bent down to pick the foot-long shell off of the ground.  
  
"Sue, stop!!" Feena ordered.  
  
Sue did as she said.  
  
"Sue, that's a conch shell! If it would sting you, you'd be in a lot of trouble. The poison's strong enough to kill a man in eight seconds!"  
  
Sue retreated immediately.  
  
Feena turned back to the boys. "You see what I mean? Even the most beautiful of places can be deathtraps! We might be in a perilous situation right now, and not even have a clue!"  
  
"Well, why don't we find out for ourselves what's on the continent?" Justin suggested. "I say we explore the place."  
  
Feena knew he would say that. She then smiled. "Well, what could it hurt? This is what I was waiting to do when we hit land, anyway."  
  
So, they gathered all of their belongings that washed up on shore, which was only a small amount compared to the belongings that went down with Guido's ship, and began their adventure into the unknown territory.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	6. Into the Jungle

CHAPTER 6:  
  
INTO THE JUNGLE  
  
The adventurers headed into the jungle. It was pretty much like any other jungle. It was dark, humid, and moist, not to mention thick. It would have taken an entire day for them to travel ten feet if Justin didn't have his sword with him to hack through the underbrush. However, this jungle was quite different. There were new plants and sounds surrounding them that even amazed Rapp.  
  
"So, Sue," Justin began. "This is your first time in a jungle. You like it?"  
  
"I would like it a whole lot better if the entire mosquito population weren't after me. Can't you get malaria from these things?"  
  
"That's why Rapp brought some paccu fruit with him. Rubbing the juices on your skin will keep the mosquitoes away."  
  
"Yeah, but now I'm all sticky! Kitty litter makes good mosquito repellant."  
  
"Where did you hear that?!"  
  
"From Aunt Lilly. And guess what? It actually works!"  
  
They continued on and on. The journey through the jungle was most unpleasant. They had already stepped into quicksand four times. Fortunately, Feena had her whip, and could use it to latch on to something to pull them out.  
  
The jungle had several other nasty surprises in store for them. The quicksand was only a minor setback compared to other things.  
  
"Remember, we don't know a thing about this jungle," Feena reminded them. "I strongly advise you not to touch anything."  
  
"What a pretty flower!" Sue exclaimed, running up to a red, three-foot-wide flower on the ground. She bent down to sniff it.  
  
"Uh, Sue," Feena began. "I wouldn't do that if I were you! That's a...." Sue sniffed deeply into the blossom. "...rafflesia."  
  
Sue recoiled in disgust. "Ugh! I-it smells like rotten meat!"  
  
"I know," Feena replied, smiling slightly. "It smells that way to attract flies."  
  
Sue coughed. "Blah! Why didn't you warn me?!"  
  
They continued on through the jungle. After Sue's too close encounter with nature, they finally decided that Feena was right. They should leave everything alone. Justin didn't want to think what would have happened if the flower Sue smelled was toxic.  
  
However, the mosquitoes, quicksand, and foul smelling flower were only small inconveniences compared to what happened next.  
  
"Hey, Feena," Justin began. "Maybe we should find some cover. It's starting to rain. Well, of course it is. We're in a rain forest."  
  
"I am getting kind of drenched," Feena announced. "Everybody, look for some cover...YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The ground had suddenly given way under them, and they plummeted down into darkness. Fortunately, they landed on soft ground.  
  
Justin sat up, and shook his head. He couldn't see a thing in the darkness. The ground felt extremely wet. "Is everyone all right?"  
  
"I think so," Feena answered. "Hang on a sec." She pictured the image of fire in her mind, and magically produced a flame in her hand, which she used as a light source.  
  
Justin could now see the room they were in. They had fallen into a cave just below the surface. The floor, ceiling, and walls were very damp, and covered with thick, soft moss, which was what cushioned their fall.  
  
"J-Justin!" he heard Sue scream.  
  
Justin turned to her. "Sue, what is it?"  
  
She was looking all around, her face white with fear. "L-look!!" She pointed all around the cave.  
  
They looked around. Then, they knew what Sue was so afraid of. All around them, sticking out of the floor, walls, and ceiling, were enormous Venus flytraps. However, these were obviously not meant to catch flies. Each of the traps was almost five-feet in diameter!  
  
"Man, I liked Virgin Forest much better than this place!" Rapp said.  
  
Feena looked down at Rapp, and noticed that he had landed right into one of the traps, but fortunately, it hadn't closed...yet. "Rapp!! Don't move!!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Rapp, I don't mean to scare you, but you're lying in an open flytrap."  
  
Rapps eyes opened so wide, Justin thought he could see inside him.  
  
"Wh-what do I do?!" Rapp stammered.  
  
"A venus flytrap responds to movement. For now, just keep perfectly still. And, whatever you do, don't touch the trigger hairs in the trap!" Feena thought for a minute. "The only thing I can think of is quickly pulling him out faster than the trap can close."  
  
"And what if you're not fast enough? Just lay it on me! What'll happen?!"  
  
"Well, the trap will close over you. You won't be able to move at all. The trap will stay locked until you starve. Then, digestive juices will be released into the trap, liquefying your body. Your fluids will be absorbed through the trap and down the stem. Finally, the trap will open, and your dehydrated body will be blown away by wind or rain. That's pretty much it."  
  
"Feena, your scaring him," Justin said.  
  
"Get me out! I don't care how, just get me out!!"  
  
"Okay, calm down," Feena coaxed him. "Just, slowly give me your hand."  
  
Rapp did as she said.  
  
"Now, when I say 'three', you kick out of the trap as hard as you can, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"One...two...three!!!"  
  
Feena pulled him, and Rapp kicked himself outward. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough, and the trap snapped shut, trapping Rapp and Feena's arms inside. It didn't seem like it hurt. The trap's teeth were actually quite soft. But Feena was right. They couldn't move.  
  
"Wmll, whmt mrm wm gmnnm dm, nmw?" Rapp's muffled voice said from inside the trap.  
  
"I'm working on it, Rapp! I'm working on it!" Feena replied testily.  
  
"Why not do this the old fashioned way?" Justin suggested. He walked up to the trap, pulled out his sword, and sliced through the stalk just below the trap. Then, with Sue's help, he pulled the trap open, freeing Rapp and Feena.  
  
Rapp gasped for air. "Whoo! That was close!"  
  
"Hey, guys!" Sue exclaimed. "I think I've found a way out of here!" She pointed to the back of the cave.  
  
Light was pouring through a small hole in the wall. The hole was just large enough for them to crawl through one at a time.  
  
The adventurers crawled through the hole, and were greeted by the sunset. Right in front of them was a slow moving river, complete with a waterfall.  
  
"This looks like a good place to spend the night," Feena announced.  
  
So, they set up their tent, and concluded their first day on 'Justinia'.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	7. The Big Squeeze

CHAPTER 7:  
  
THE BIG SQUEEZE  
  
Night soon fell over the adventurers. While Rapp and Sue went to bed, Justin and Feena stayed outside the tent to talk.  
  
"Hey, Feena," Justin said, pointing to the night sky. "You remember that star up there?"  
  
"Of course! It's the one that you promised we would go to someday, back in Gumbo."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. You think we ever will?"  
  
"I don't know, Justin. It's kind of hard to reach, don't you think?" Feena replied, playfully.  
  
Justin laughed. "I know, Feena. I know. Still, it's not entirely impossible, is it?"  
  
Feena smiled. "Justin, if there's one thing I've learned from going on adventures with you, it's that nothing is impossible!"  
  
"You're right, Feena." Justin looked skywards. "Making it through the Misty Forest, crossing the End of the World, navigating the Sea of Mermaids, they were all thought to be impossible. Like my father always said, 'Never say that something can't be done. Someone might just interrupt you by doing it.' And that's exactly what happened whenever people doubted us!"  
  
Feena suddenly grew silent. "Do you remember your father?"  
  
"Kind of. I mean, I remember what he looked like. I don't remember what he was like, though. I was pretty young when he died, you see."  
  
Feena grew silent again. "Justin," she began. "H-how did your father die?"  
  
"I...don't...really...know. All I remember is someone coming over to the Seagull Restaurant and telling Mom and me that he had died. Whatever happened to him, his body was never found."  
  
Feena put her hand on Justin's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry I made you tell me that."  
  
"It's okay, Feena. He's not really gone. He's with me right now. I just can't see him."  
  
Feena leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Well, it's getting late. Let's go to bed."  
  
"All right."  
  
They both crept quietly into the tent, careful not to wake Rapp and Sue, and crawled into the same sleeping bag.  
  
"Goodnight, Feena."  
  
"Night, Justin."  
  
Then they kissed, and fell asleep.  
  
The next morning, Feena woke Justin up. "Justin. Justin!" she whispered into his ear.  
  
"Hmm.... What is it, Feena?" he asked, groggily.  
  
"Come on, get up. And be quiet!"  
  
Justin looked over his shoulder, and saw that Rapp and Sue were still asleep. "Feena, why are we getting up so early?" He nodded towards Rapp and Sue. "Shouldn't we wake them up?"  
  
"No, Justin. I don't want to wake them up yet."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well," Feena began. "The reason is, uh, d-do you want to go swimming with me?" she asked, smiling.  
  
Justin's eyes opened wide. "Uh...well...oh...o-okay."  
  
They stepped into the morning sunlight. The fog was still visible over the river.  
  
Feena took her stockings and shoes off, and waded in.  
  
Justin pulled his shirt over his head, and went in after her.  
  
Feena swam up to Justin and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her forehead against his.  
  
Justin placed his hands at the sides of her waist. She's so beautiful, he thought. So beautiful, like Mother Nature took earth, air, fire, and water, and molded them altogether to form her.  
  
This was the first time Feena noticed that Justin had a growth spurt during their first month together. When Feena met him back on the steamer, Justin was two inches shorter than her. Now, he was two inches taller than her.  
  
After a few more moments of caressing and kissing, Justin broke away. "Feena, I'll go get breakfast ready this time."  
  
"Are you sure you can handle it?"  
  
Of course! How hard can it be? You coming too?"  
  
"Well, I think I'll stay in the water. I needed a washing off."  
  
Justin went back to shore. It turned out that making breakfast wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When he tried to fry the eggs, the eggs wouldn't cooperate. On his first attempt to crack an egg on the skillet's edge, it splattered all over the place, not to mention all over himself. "Hey Feena," he called, holding another egg to his ear. "I think these eggs are bad. One of them is making a 'peeping' sound inside."  
  
But there was no answer. All Justin heard in reply was a very loud 'splash'. Much to loud to be made by Feena simply falling in the water.  
  
"Feena? You alright?"  
  
There was still no answer.  
  
Justin stood up to look at the water. Feena was nowhere in sight. Bubbles were coming up from one spot in the river. Justin kept his eyes on these bubbles. They steadily grew larger and larger. Suddenly, Feena surfaced, screaming, in the spot where the bubbles were coming up, and when Justin saw her, his blood ran cold. Feena was struggling with an enormous 40-foot snake! The snake had its coils wrapped around her entire body, and was constricting the life out of her. Its jaws were latched onto her face as she continued to try to pull the reptile from her body. She was having no luck, however. The snake was extremely strong. Justin quickly ran into the tent, grabbed his sword, and ran back out into the river, towards the screaming girl. Justin reached her, and plunged his sword into the body of the snake. The water immediately ran red with blood, and the snake now had a very deep cut. However, the snake didn't take any notice of the sword, or Justin. It kept on constricting Feena. Justin struck again, and again. The snake's internal organs were now visible, but it continued to constrict. This isn't working, Justin thought. He continued to cut at the snake anyway, desperate to free Feena. Soon, however, Justin noticed that Feena had stopped screaming. He kept watching her, as she nodded her head and fell unconscious from the snake's continued squeezing. The snake's jaws released Feena's face, and its head moved up to the top of Feena's. Justin then watched in sheer terror as the snake's jaws unhinged, and began to walk the girl down its throat. Justin reacted quickly. He raised the sword and swung it down at the base of the snake's head, decapitating it. Finally, the snake's coils around Feena relaxed. Justin caught her as she fell into the water.  
  
"Feena!" he cried, shaking her. "Feena, come on!"  
  
Desperate, Justin quickly dragged her back to shore, and began performing mouth-to mouth resuscitation. To his great relief, after five attempts, Feena coughed and opened her eyes.  
  
"Th-thank you, J-Justin," she said weakly, gasping for air.  
  
Justin pulled her up into a tight embrace, and smiled as he rubbed his face in her hair, relieved that he was still able to do so.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	8. Safety in Numbers

CHAPTER 8:  
  
SAFETY IN NUMBERS  
  
Justin and Feena quickly woke Sue and Rapp and moved away from the river as fast as they could. They didn't want to take the chance that more of those big snakes could be lurking under the water. Or worse, that even bigger ones had made their home there.  
  
They soon settled down for breakfast, which Feena decided to prepare instead. The eggs seem to like her better, Justin thought as Feena cracked egg after egg with ease. Everyone soon had a plate of eggs, fresh from the skillet, right in front of them.  
  
Just as Rapp was about to grab his third helping, he heard a loud 'squawk' from the thicket of trees behind him. And as he turned around, a large flightless bird strutted out of the forest towards him. The bird looked similar to a dodo, except that it was six feet tall. It cocked its head in a curious way, eyeing Rapp's egg. Obviously it, too, wanted the egg.  
  
"What?" Rapp asked the bird. "Ya hungry, or somethin'?" He took a bit of his scrambled egg and tossed it to the ground in front of the large bird. The bird immediately bent down, snapped the scrambled egg up in its hooked beak, and tossed it into the back of its throat. Rapp turned back to his egg, but the bird pushed his way through, and attempted to eat out of his plate. This, of course, made Rapp angry. He pushed the bird's beak away from his plate. The bird pushed back, knocking Rapp to the ground and causing him to drop his plate. The bird continued to eat Rapp's egg.  
  
"Hey!! Give me that!!" Rapp ordered, trying to shoo the bird away.  
  
"Uh, Rapp," Feena began. "I'd just let him have it if I were you."  
  
"Yeah, Feena," Rapp answered, cracking his knuckles. "I'll just let him have it!" Rapp charged towards the bird.  
  
"I didn't mean it that way!" Feena protested. However, she was too late. Just as Rapp was about to clobber the bird with his fist, the bird turned to face him, and vomited egg and predigested meat all over him!  
  
"Oh, God!!" Rapp screamed as the foul-smelling vomit hit his chest with a sickening 'splat'.  
  
"I warned you," Feena said.  
  
They soon moved on, Rapp quite irritable with leaving his breakfast for a bird to finish.  
  
"Ugh, Rapp, you stink!" Sue complained as she walked beside Rapp.  
  
"Hey, you wouldn't exactly smell like a meadow of wildflowers either if a scavenging bird puked up its stomach contents all over you!"  
  
After a while, the group left the jungle and had come to a huge savannah. There were trees growing in the area, but they were much more spread out than in the jungle. Almost all of the trees had leaves missing in the very tops of them. And the travelers soon found out why.  
  
All of a sudden, the ground shook slightly. "Wh-what's that?" Sue wondered out loud.  
  
"N-nothing to worry about," Justin said. "Just a small tremor."  
  
"But, we're nowhere near a fault line," Feena added.  
  
"I think I've figured out what it is," Rapp said, pointing in the distance.  
  
Everyone looked out to where Rapp was pointing. There, in the middle of the valley, was a herd of enormous animals. The creatures were huge!! Each was almost 60 feet tall, except for the calves, which only stood a mere 20 feet. The animals were strange looking. Their heads were shaped like those of hairless camels. The front legs were like human arms with elephant feet, and were longer than their back legs, which were all elephant in structure. The tails of the animals were short with a hairy tip, and the skin that covered the entire animals' bodies was like that of a rhino's. The creatures lumbered across the prairie, pulling leaves off of the trees with their hooked lips. This explained why some trees had no leaves at their tops.  
  
"It's a herd of females and their young," Feena informed the others.  
  
"Are they...dangerous?" Justin asked, gripping the hilt of his sword nervously. He didn't feel too comfortable around wild animals of such large sizes.  
  
"I doubt it. They're herbivores, and because of their size, I don't think they would see us as a threat."  
  
One of the calves spotted them, and waddled towards them curiously. It made Sue giggle as it sniffed at her. The calf seemed completely unafraid of these strange things on two legs. It bent down to get a closer look at Rapp and, without warning, grabbed his knife by the hilt.  
  
"Hey!!" Rapp yelled. "Give that back!!"  
  
The calf just looked at him playfully. It didn't know what to make of this noisy, little creature in front of him. The calf quickly lost interest in Rapp, and waddled back to the herd, still carrying Rapp's knife.  
  
"Hey, come back here!! I said to give that back!!"  
  
The calf kept going, without looking back. Rapp quickly grew angry, and ran after the calf. The calf looked back, saw Rapp coming straight for him, and ran, bleating back to the herd. The entire herd heard the calf's distress calls, stopped eating, and looked up in alarm. The largest one, the alpha female, emitted a deafening bellow that could be heard for miles. The calf ran into the herd. Rapp stopped right in front of them. The adults had seen Rapp chasing their calf. Bellowing loudly, they formed a circle around the calves, creating a defensive barrier around the babies.  
  
"I don't think this is good," Feena told the others as they watched Rapp looking up at the now angry behemoths.  
  
Rapp took a chance and attempted to run into the herd. He had to get his knife back. However, he stopped when he saw the alpha female glaring down menacingly at him. Suddenly, she reared up on her hind legs, making herself look even larger and more fearsome.  
  
"Rapp!! Get out of there!!" Justin called to him. He knew things had finally gotten ugly when he saw the alpha female rear up, making Rapp appear so small and insignificant.  
  
But Rapp was overwhelmed with too much fear to just 'get out of there.' All he could do was stand there, as he watched the alpha female tower over him. Then, to everyone's horror, the alpha female's forelegs plummeted down towards Rapp, and hit the ground with the force of a plane crash! Fortunately, Rapp jumped out of the way of the feet as they attempted to crush him.  
  
"RAPP!!! GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!!!!!" the others screamed at him as the alpha female reared up again.  
  
This time, Rapp listened. He ran back towards his friends as fast as he could, but the alpha female bounded after him. It caught up with him in one enormous stride, reared up, and brought its feet crashing down. The group got one last look at their friend as the foot came down over him.  
  
"RAPP!! NO!!!" they all screamed.  
  
The alpha female then walked back towards the herd, which began to dine at the treetops once again. Justin and the others ran over to their fallen friend, fearing to see his unrecognizable remains. They looked down at the ground, where they last saw him. Miraculously, they saw Rapp curled up in a small depression in the ground, alive and unhurt. The depression was too small for the alpha female's foot to fit through, and Rapp had fallen through it just as its foot came down!  
  
All of a sudden, Rapp stood up. "That...was...AWESOME!!!!!"  
  
"Rapp, you idiot!!" Feena screamed at him. "You could have been killed!!!"  
  
"So awesome! So awesome! Did you guys see that?! Did ya?! Did ya?!!"  
  
"Yes, we saw it!! And for a while, we thought you were squashed into jelly!!!"  
  
Now, Justin was certain that a guardian angel was watching over them!  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	9. Crossing Paths

CHAPTER 9:  
  
CROSSING PATHS  
  
The adventurers decided to move on. Rapp later found his knife in the field, after the enormous animals left to browse elsewhere.  
  
They continued on their adventure through the valley. Soon, it started to rain, and our heroes were once again wet. This continent had a tropical climate, so showers were quite frequent here. Looking for shelter, they found a small cave in the side of a cliff.  
  
"I guess this will have to do," Justin said, looking into the cave.  
  
It was cool inside the cave, but warm enough once a fire was started. Outside, the rain gradually grew harder and harder. The group sat and waited for the rain to stop. And waited. And waited. Soon, nearly half an hour had passed and the rain kept pouring, not growing any softer.  
  
"Is this rain ever gonna stop?" Rapp asked irritably. "My butt's falling asleep!"  
  
Suddenly, a loud rumbling broke the silence.  
  
"Hey, those big animals went the other direction," Justin said.  
  
"This rumbling isn't coming from them!" Feena screamed. "The rain is loosening the soil! The cave's collapsing! Everyone out!!"  
  
Before they could get out, however, a large amount of rock fell from the ceiling. In seconds, a wall of rock blocked the mouth of the cave, and everything grew silent once again.  
  
"Well, this really isn't good!" Sue exclaimed.  
  
"Sshh!" Justin ordered, holding his hand up. "I heard something." He heard it again. It sounded like whispering, and it was coming from another chamber on the other side of the cave.  
  
The all stood up slowly, and moved close together, each readying his or her weapon. They knew they shouldn't have come into the cave. Monsters loved caves. And they loved caves even better when dinner foolishly wondered into them, completely defenseless. However, Justin and his friends were hardly defenseless.  
  
"Stay close," Justin whispered to them. They continued cautiously through the darkness towards the chamber. As they approached, they could hear the whispering getting louder. They now stood against the wall, right beside the chamber's entrance. They all tensed up, preparing for combat as they slowly peaked into the chamber.  
  
"On three," Justin commanded. They started to pump with adrenaline as Justin slowly counted. "One...two...THREE!!!"  
  
They all charged into through the chamber entrance, and came face to face with....  
  
"Leen?!" Feena exclaimed.  
  
"F-Feena!" Leen replied, clutching her chest. Mullen and the three sergeants were with her. "Y-you scared us to death!"  
  
"What are you doing here?" Feena asked, putting her whip away.  
  
"Long story. Did the rain stop?"  
  
"Don't bother," Justin replied. "You won't be able to get out anyway. There's been a cave-in, and the entrance is blocked."  
  
They went back to the fire. Leen and Mullen sat down to join them. Nana, Saki, and Mio sat at the other end of the cave with their backs turned towards the others. They didn't know why, but they still felt some animosity for those kids, though not as extreme as it had been before.  
  
"So, tell us," Feena urged. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well," Leen began. "It all started when we received your SOS. I only heard you for a minute, and then the radio went static. So, we boarded the Lyonlot to come for help. By the time we got there, we saw your boat sinking in the distance. But, just as we were about to drop down, we saw the ship explode."  
  
"I knew that no one could survive an explosion like that," Mullen added in. "But, Leen kept insisting on searching for you. We must have flown over that area a hundred times. Finally, we called the mainland and pronounced you dead."  
  
"Just as we turned around to head back, we ran out of fuel. Someone forgot to refill the tanks." She eyed the sergeants behind her. "So, we made an emergency landing in the ocean, inflated a life raft, and the storm carried us to this new continent. That's pretty much it."  
  
"Great," Sue sighed. "The whole world thinks we're dead."  
  
"But, we aren't, Sue," Justin reminded her. "That's good, isn't it?"  
  
"That's not the point, Justin. Now, we can never go back home! If the whole world believes that we're dead, then no one will come to rescue us!"  
  
Justin had to admit that she had a point. They may never see their homes again.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	10. The Ancient City

CHAPTER 10:  
  
THE ANCIENT CITY  
  
Everyone heaved at the rocks that blocked the adventurers' only way out, until they finally realized that it was no use. The boulders were too large, and there were too many of them.  
  
"Well, that's it," Justin said, panting from exhaustion. "Unless one of us just happens to be carrying some TNT with them, it'll take us a month to clear away these boulders. And I don't think we can live that long in here!"  
  
"Well, this can't be the only way out, can it?" Feena wondered. "There just has to be another way to the surface, if we look."  
  
"She does have a point. Okay, everyone! I say we split up and look for another exit. If you find one, just holler, and the rest of us will come. Any other ideas?"  
  
There was silence from the others, so they all split up, just as Justin said.  
  
Justin went with Feena and headed down one chamber. Unfortunately, it led to a dead end.  
  
"Come on," Justin said to her, frustrated. "Let's go back."  
  
All of a sudden, they heard Sue shout out. "Guys! Come here, quick!!"  
  
They all ran to where Sue's shouts were coming from.  
  
"Sue! You found a way out?"  
  
"Well, not exactly. Look." She pointed to the cave wall. Two strange carvings were crudely chiseled in the rock. The first one looked like a circle with light pouring from it. The other one was that of a winged woman with four arms, an Icarian. Her wings were on fire.  
  
"What do they mean?" Justin asked.  
  
"I know," Mullen spoke up, moving closer. "The carving of the circle means that an exit is up ahead."  
  
"Really? That's great!"  
  
"Not so fast, Justin! The carving of the burning Icarian means that there's a curse upon where the exit leads."  
  
"A...curse?"  
  
"Mullen, you don't really believe in curses, do you?" asked Feena, sarcastically. "Icarians have probably lived here thousands of years ago, and put those carvings there to keep intruders at bay."  
  
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Justin said.  
  
So, they headed down the chamber and, sure enough, came to an exit out of the cave. But, when they went through the exit, an amazing sight laid before them...an ancient city, completely in ruins. Justin's eyes opened wide at the sights all around him. To him, ancient city ruins only met one thing...adventure. They headed into the ruins. Large buildings, untouched for thousands of years, towered up all around them.  
  
"I don't think these ruins are Angelounian," Leen spoke up. "They seem different."  
  
Justin sort of knew what she meant. Angelounian ruins were usually fascinating and beautiful. These ruins, however, made him feel uneasy, like someone, or something, was watching them from behind. Justin turned to look over his shoulder. He saw nothing. Maybe I'm just imagining things, he thought to himself. But, then he thought he heard something, and looked behind him again. This time, he did see something. But, it was moving to fast for him to get a good look, and quickly disappeared behind a building.  
  
"Justin, what's wrong?" Feena asked.  
  
"I...thought I saw something," he answered, still looking behind him.  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"I don't know. It was moving too fast."  
  
Then, he heard it. It sounded like purring, like a kitten does while being scratched behind the ear, except that it was much deeper in sound than a kitten's purrs. The sound was coming from above him. He looked up, and saw a creature looking down at them from the roof of a building. The creature was truly frightening in appearance. It had a body like that of a lion, stocky and powerful. Its face was like a human's, except for the mouth, which had enormous jaws that spanned from ear to ear and three rows of razor-sharp teeth that looked capable of biting a man's head off. But the weirdest, and most frightening feature was the tail, which the creature held over its head like a scorpion. The end of this tail was spiked with poisonous darts. The creature purred and smiled nastily as it stared down at them, licking its lips hungrily like a tiger does when it sees a deer in front of it.  
  
"Hey, guys," Justin called to the others, looking up at the creature. "I don't think we're alone!"  
  
"What's that?" Leen replied.  
  
The creature backed up out of sight.  
  
"Uh, nothing."  
  
Then, he saw the creature again. It was lying still in the tall grass in front of them. Only Justin could see it, as it watched Leen unknowingly approach its hiding place. The beast tensed its muscles, preparing to pounce.  
  
"Leen! Look out!!" Justin screamed, running up to her.  
  
Leen turned and saw the creature attempting to bring her down. However, it was too late for her to react. The creature leaped at her, with a force that could crush her spine. Fortunately, Justin pushed her out of the way just as the beast was about to come down upon her. Everyone looked at the beast. Mullen readied his sword, but the creature knocked him to the ground with its paw. He looked up and saw the huge jaws of the creature lunging towards his throat. Leen pulled him to his feet just in time.  
  
"Quick! In here!!" Feena shouted, pointing to the entrance of a nearby temple. Everyone ran in and Feena began to pull the huge door shut over the entrance. But then, the creature rushed in and its head was trapped in the door as Feena was sealing the opening. As it snapped its jaws, she pushed it back out with her foot, and shut the door.  
  
"What in Hell was that thing?!" Rapp exclaimed, panting.  
  
"A manticore," Feena answered. "Until now, I've never seen one before. I've always been told that they've only existed in fairy tales."  
  
Justin sighed in relief, and leaned back against the wall. This wall, however, was actually a trapdoor, which opened behind him! As he screamed, he tumbled down a long slide that lead into blackness. The trapdoor closed back up behind him. He kept sliding down for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he hit the stone, cold floor. All that could be seen in every direction was blackness. A musty odor invaded his nostrils. He slowly stood up and tried to walk forwards, keeping his hands on the walls. He stepped on something soft.  
  
"Ow!! Get off me!!" the soft thing screamed. It pushed him off of itself, knocking him to the ground.  
  
Justin formed a fireball in his hand to see what the soft thing was. To his surprise, he had stepped on Saki. Not only her, but also Nana and Mio fell through the trapdoor with him.  
  
"What's with you stomping all over me like that?!" she screamed angrily at him.  
  
"Well, you didn't have to throw me onto my ass," Justin replied irritably.  
  
"Don't you start telling me what to do!!" She looked around the room. "Where are we?"  
  
"According to my calculations, we're in a burial chamber," Mio said, matter- of-factly.  
  
"And how do you know?" Nana asked.  
  
"Because we're surrounded by dead bodies!" she answered in fright.  
  
She was right. In the walls all around them, bodies were lying on shelves. The bodies were fully clothed. Although they had been dead for thousands of years, the skin was still on the bodies. This skin, however, was peeling off on some of the bodies' faces, revealing their bony skulls.  
  
"Catacomb mummies," Justin muttered to himself, noticing the clothing and slight preservation of the corpses.  
  
Suddenly, Nana and Saki seemed to come to some realization.  
  
"We...we're trapped!" Nana squealed.  
  
"We're all gonna die down here!" Saki moaned.  
  
"Girls, don't say that!" Mio told them.  
  
"But, it's true! This burial chamber is expecting four more customers!" Nana screamed.  
  
"We're all going to run out of air and die down here! Then, the rats will eat our bodies!!" Saki yelled.  
  
Both turned to Justin. "It's your fault!!" Saki exclaimed.  
  
"You're the one who opened that trapdoor!" Nana screamed at him.  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault you three just happened to fall in with me!" Justin yelled angrily.  
  
"I'm gonna kill you!!" Saki shouted.  
  
"I'll help!!" Nana added.  
  
They both leaped at him and locked their hands around his neck, shaking him back and forth.  
  
"You know, that kinda hurts!!" Justin shouted.  
  
"Uh, guys," Mio spoke up.  
  
"That's the idea!!" Nana shouted at Justin, taking no notice of Mio.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Mio repeated.  
  
"I'm gonna ring your scrawny little neck!!" Saki exclaimed.  
  
"Guys!!" Mio said louder.  
  
"Quit it, you two!! I can't breathe!!" Justin yelled, gagging.  
  
"SHUT UP AND TURN AROUND, WILL YOU?!!!" Mio screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
Nana and Saki let go of Justin, and they all looked behind them. The manticore was standing right behind them the whole time! Obviously, it knew its way around these ruins a lot better than they did.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	11. Gaining New Allies

CHAPTER 11:  
  
GAINING NEW ALLIES  
  
The manticore stared at them hungrily, saliva dripping from its massive jaws. After stalking them through the temple, it had finally cornered them. The manticore crouched and leaped at Justin, its mouth wide open. It should have been an easy kill for the manticore, but once again, the boy was underestimated.  
  
Justin leaped sideways, evading a lethal swipe from the beast's paw. The creature collided into the wall, sending the bones of a corpse flying in all directions.  
  
Shaking its head, the manticore then tried to take Mio down instead, but Saki rammed her shoulder against the side of the creature, knocking it to the floor. This, of course, only made it mad, and it delivered a heavy blow to Saki with its paw, sending her flying across the room. It turned back to Mio, and pounced at her.  
  
Mio pulled her stun guns off of her belt, and held the triggers down to charge them up. Unfortunately, she forgot that the batteries had died, and she could only watch as the manticore slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. The beast placed its paw on her chest, pinning her down. Mio watched as the manticore raised its other paw over its head, retracting its deadly claws. She shut her eyes tight, expecting to feel claws ripping through her flesh at any minute.  
  
Nana, seeing her friend in danger, quickly pulled her yo-yo out of her pocket and attached it to her finger. She then flung the yo-yo at the creature's paw, and it wrapped around its wrist. Just as the manticore was about to swing its paw down at Mio, Nana pulled on the yo-yo, immobilizing the lethal paw.  
  
This only annoyed the manticore, and it tugged back at the yo-yo. Being much stronger than Nana, this tug easily pulled her to her knees. Seeing Nana in a vulnerable position, the manticore couldn't resist the opportunity, and instinctively rushed at her, knocking her on her back.  
  
Held to the ground, Nana kicked desperately at the creature, but this had no affect what so ever. She then felt intense pain as the manticore bit down on her windpipe to suffocate her. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her vision began to get fuzzier. This is it, she thought calmly to herself.  
  
All of a sudden, she felt air rush back into her lungs, and her vision came back. She could then see the manticore in front of her, doing battle with Justin. The manticore had a deep cut in its shoulder, and there was blood on the blade of Justin's sword.  
  
Justin was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, while the manticore was baring its teeth at him. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither showing signs of backing down. Then, to everyone's surprise, the manticore turned and ran back down a secret passageway in search for an easier meal.  
  
"Well, that takes care of that guy," Justin told himself. He turned to the sergeants. "You three okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Saki answered, rubbing the goose egg in her head from her collision with the floor.  
  
"Wh...Why did you do that?" Nana asked Justin.  
  
"Why did I do what?"  
  
"Why did you save us like that?"  
  
"Hey, I couldn't just let that manticore kill you."  
  
"But, why not?" Mio asked. "I mean, we've caused you all that trouble in the past."  
  
"Well, that doesn't mean you deserve to die, does it?"  
  
The sergeants just stared at Justin in amazement. No one had ever shown them kindness in their lives. Ever since they had joined the military, they had almost forgotten what true kindness even was. They had been barking orders at their squads for so long, that their hearts had eventually turned ice cold.  
  
"Come on," Justin urged. "We've got to find a way out of here. But, the only way back out is through, uh...." he turned his head towards the secret passageway the manticore went through.  
  
"Oh no!" Saki rejected. "Not through there! What if we run into that...that...thing again?"  
  
"He does have a point," Mio added. "It's either that, or wait for the manticore to come back."  
  
Finally, Justin had convinced Saki, and he went ahead into the passageway to check if it was safe.  
  
"It's okay!" he called back. One by one, the sergeants stepped through the door after him. They found themselves in a dark corridor.  
  
Nana looked up at the ceiling and screamed.  
  
"What?! What is it?!" Justin exclaimed, wheeling around. Nana just pointed to the ceiling, her mouth in a silent scream. Bats, millions of them, were perched on the ceiling.  
  
"Nana," Justin began, smiling slyly. "You're afraid of bats, aren't you?"  
  
"O...of...of course not!" she stammered, crossing her arms across her chest. "Th...they just gross me out, that's all!"  
  
"There's one in your hair," Mio said to her.  
  
"WHAT?!! GET IT OUT!!! GET IT OUT!!! GET IT OUT!!!"  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
"Ooh, I'm gonna get you!"  
  
Mio just laughed. "Lighten up, will you?"  
  
"How can I lighten up?! I was almost ripped apart by some monster with looks not even a mother could love! I'm standing in a dark corridor with a million rats with wings!"  
  
"Bats aren't rodents, Nana," Mio corrected her.  
  
"Who cares?! They're still disgusting!! And, to top it all off, I'm also standing knee deep in mud!!"  
  
"I hate to tell you this," Justin began. "But this isn't mud you're standing in. It's the bats' guano."  
  
"What?! Oh, gross!!"  
  
"Hey!" Saki exclaimed. "I can see a light!"  
  
She was right. It was a way out of the temple.  
  
"Come on!!" Justin said.  
  
All four ran forward, and found themselves back where they started, in the ancient city ruins.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	12. Sethylos

CHAPTER 12:  
  
SETHYLOS  
  
Justin and the three sergeants ran out of the temple and into the daylight. The others could be seen sitting against the side of a building.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Justin greeted them, as if nothing had even happened.  
  
"Justin!" Feena exclaimed. "What happened? I turned away, and you were gone!"  
  
"We fell through a trapdoor."  
  
"Really? What did you find down there?"  
  
"Nothing much. Just a tomb full of dead, rotting corpses." Feena's eyes widened. But not because of what Justin had just told her.  
  
"Justin," she squeaked. "L-look behind you."  
  
Justin turned to look over his shoulder. The manticore was still stalking them, and had followed them out.  
  
"Geez, this thing just doesn't know when to quit, does it?"  
  
Then, the manticore did something it had never done before. It raised its spiked tail high over its head, and the darts shot out at everyone like arrows.  
  
"Whoa!!" they exclaimed as the darts shot past their ears.  
  
"Look out!!" Feena screamed at Justin as a dart came flying straight at him.  
  
Unfortunately, it was far too late for Justin, who soon felt a sharp prick in his neck. To his horror, he then felt the dart pump its poison into his artery. Almost immediately, he felt light-headed, and began to sway back and forth. It didn't take long for him to collapse to the ground as his vision quickly became fuzzier. Before he knew it, he was completely succumbed by the fast-acting venom. Before passing out, he caught a glimpse of the manticore slowly approaching him.  
  
When Justin awoke, a few hours later, he found himself lying in a bed. Feena was looking down at him.  
  
"F...Feena? Wh...what happened?"  
  
"You're very lucky. This man saved your life." She pointed behind her. A tall man was standing in the corner of the room. He wore a headdress, indicating that he was the chief of a tribe. "That manticore would have killed you if he hadn't run it off in time."  
  
Justin looked up at the man. "Uh, thanks."  
  
"You're quite welcome, young man," he replied, smiling warmly.  
  
"What's his name?" he asked Feena.  
  
"Sethylos," she answered. "He's the chief of the Uolegna Tribe."  
  
So, this city isn't really deserted, Justin thought to himself.  
  
"You and your friends have my permission to stay in my palace as long as you want," Sethylos informed them invitingly.  
  
Sethylos seemed kind enough to Justin, but he had to admit that there seemed to be something odd about him. Sethylos would often lock himself in his bedroom, and this struck suspicion in Justin. He knew that he would be invading Sethylos' privacy, but he had to see what he was so secretive about in that room. But, before he had gotten to the door, Sethylos showed up and, suddenly turning angry, told him to stay out of his room.  
  
The next day, Justin had almost forgotten about his curiosity for Sethylos' mysterious bedroom. However, it came back to him one day when he was walking past it. The door was shut, and he knew to stay out.  
  
"Hmm...." Justin said to himself. "Sethylos said that I wasn't allowed to see what's in his room." He then smiled slyly. "He didn't say anything about listening!" He pressed his ear against the door. Inside, he could hear Sethylos talking to someone with a familiar-sounding voice.  
  
"Master," Justin heard Sethylos begin. "You will not believe who the boy and girl are. I have just found out that these two are the adventurers Justin and Feena!"  
  
"What?! The Hero and the Icarian?!!" the other man in the room exclaimed.  
  
"Wow!" Justin said quietly to himself. "Even here, they know about our defeating Gaia!"  
  
"What should we do with them, Master?" Sethylos asked.  
  
The stranger paused as if thinking of an answer. "Kill them!" he finally replied. "I don't care how, just kill them!!"  
  
Justin's eyes widened when he heard these final words.  
  
"Excuse me, Master," Sethylos said. "But, I believe that the boy is too strong for me. However, the girl shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"Very well," the voice replied. "Listen to me, I don't care what you do. At least do away with one of them. That's all I ask!"  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
Justin ran back to warn Feena, but when he had gotten to her room, she was gone! All of the furniture was toppled over, as if a brawl had taken place in the room.  
  
"What the.... I could have sworn she was still in here!" Justin said to himself. Mullen ran in.  
  
"Mullen! Feena's missing!!"  
  
"I know, Justin. Leen is too!"  
  
"What's going on here?" Rapp exclaimed, walking into the room. Everyone else was with him.  
  
"Guys, both Feena and Leen are missing. Where could they have gone?!" Justin told them.  
  
"I've already searched the entire palace, and couldn't find them anywhere," Mullen informed them.  
  
"Well, they couldn't have just vanished into thin air," Sue put in. She looked down, and spotted a small piece of paper lying on the floor. "Hey, what's this?" she wondered, picking the parcel up off the ground.  
  
Mullen looked at the paper. A single word was scrawled onto the paper, as if it had been written in a hurry. "This is Leen's handwriting," he said. He read the word out loud. "Sphingein?" They all jumped as the wall behind them opened to reveal a stone staircase leading down into darkness. The word that Mullen had read on the parchment was the password for that secret passageway.  
  
"You think Feena and Leen are down there?" Justin asked, nodding towards the staircase.  
  
"No doubt," Mullen answered. He looked around at the trashed bedroom and down at the paper in his palm. "And, judging from the looks of things, someone has taken them down there by force."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	13. Ceremony of Death

CHAPTER 13:  
  
CEREMONY OF DEATH  
  
Justin and the others crept cautiously down the stairway, which spiraled down and down quite a distance.  
  
"Maybe we should go back," Sue suggested. "This place is creepy!"  
  
"But Feena and Leen could be in danger!" Justin reminded her.  
  
"Doesn't he ever stop?!" Nana panted as they descended lower and lower.  
  
"No, not really," Sue replied with a giggle.  
  
Finally, the staircase came to a stop, and the group found a large open doorway in front of them. Poking their heads through the entrance, they saw an extraordinary scene before them, a large underground shrine.  
  
Every person of the Uolegna tribe, dressed in black filled the area, facing a large stone altar-like structure. Sethylos, also dressed in black and wearing a very large black and red headdress, was standing on this altar.  
  
"It looks like a ceremony of worship," Rapp informed the others.  
  
An enormous, and very familiar-looking stone statue towered up from behind Sethylos. It had four insect-like wings spread out, and one large ruby for an eye. It was an idol of...Gaia!!!  
  
"What the hell's going on here?!!" Justin muttered to himself. "These people don't worship Gaia, do they?!"  
  
"That's what it looks like," Mullen replied.  
  
"Justin, look!!!" Sue gasped, pointing her index finger out. "It's Feena and Leen!!"  
  
She was right. Justin spotted them sitting under the statue, with looks of terror on their faces. They both had their hands tied tightly behind their backs, and their legs were also bound.  
  
Sethylos held his arms up to speak, and everyone in the shrine grew silent. "My people," he began. "Let us all give praise to the Almighty Gaia before we begin our ceremony." He turned and looked up at the statue. "Oh, Gaia! We, the Uolegnanians, give praise to You. We thank You for Your doing away with the Angelounians, long years ago!"  
  
"What?!" Justin exclaimed. "These psychos prayed for Gaia to destroy the Angelounian Civilization?!"  
  
Sethylos continued the prayer. "When we created You, Gaia, we gave You to our rivals, the Angelounians, promising that You would make them the most powerful civilization on Earth. However, they knew nothing of Your devious ways, and instead of allowing their civilization to prosper, You've brought destruction raining down upon their doomed empire! Thanks to You, our loathsome rivals' empire, which once shined so gloriously, is now burning in the fiery reaches of Hell, doomed to never escape an eternity of complete damnation!!! And so, as reward for Your noble deeds, we have given you freedom once again!! But hark, the cursed Hero and Icarian have put You to rest once more."  
  
Justin smiled triumphantly to himself when Sethylos said this.  
  
"But," he continued, "little do they know that You are not defeated. As a tree, You slumber, healing from the wounds that the Hero and Icarian have brought unto You. But, soon, You will emerge from Your cocoon of bark and wood, and continue to bring devastation to the world, as a new Gaia! And once You bring the demise to the rest of the world's vermin, we shall emerge as the ultimate civilization! It is now our turn to spread our city to every edge of the Earth!!"  
  
"I can't believe it!!" Justin exclaimed, traumatized. "G-Gaia's still alive! That 'tree' that we saw after we fought it is actually a cocoon!!"  
  
"And now we present our gift to You," Sethylos continued, "behold!" He turned to Feena and Leen. "We present to You the last two Icarians on Earth! May the spilling of their blood satisfy Your thirst for vengeance on the ones who've brought great misery to Your second visit on our planet!" The audience in the shrine suddenly burst into shouts of excitement.  
  
"What?!!!" Justin screamed. "Oh my God, they're going to kill them!!"  
  
Sethylos turned back to the frightened twins. "Bring forth the one called 'Feena'!"  
  
Justin watched in disbelief as two muscular men scooped his frightened love up in their arms, and lay her down on her back upon a stone table. Sethylos approached the girl as she struggled with the ropes that immobilized her body.  
  
"Hello, my little Icarian," Sethylos whispered to her, smiling wickedly. He pulled a dagger off of his belt, and Feena's eyes widened. He moved his face close to hers. "Are you frightened, my dear girl? What are you afraid of? Is it the dagger?" He held the dagger close to her, and she shut her eyes in fear, gritting her teeth. Sethylos chuckled as the girl squirmed as he waved the dagger above her face. "Do you fear the blade, my sweet?" He then gently ran the dagger up and down the side of her face, causing her to shriek in terror. "Oh, is that a tear?" he taunted her, as one of her frightened eyes released a tear, which rolled slowly down her cheek. Then, her head fell onto her shoulder, and she fainted.  
  
Watching Sethylos tormenting Feena was the last straw for Justin. He pulled his sword out of its sheath, preparing to fight the evil man.  
  
"And now," Sethylos announced, "by the power of Gaia, I shall use this dagger to remove the Icarian's heart!!" He raised the dagger over his head, and prepared to plunge it into the girl's chest.  
  
"NO!!!" Justin shouted out loud, sprinting out of his hiding place towards the altar. In a split second, he pulled his sword out of its sheath, and swung it at the dagger as it came down, sending it flying out of Sethylos's clenched fist and across the room. The bystanders immediately stopped chanting. The rest of Justin's accomplices ran in and drew their weapons.  
  
"CEREMONY'S OVER!!!" Mullen shouted at the bystanders, brandishing his sword threateningly. "EVERYONE OUT!!! DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE'RE JOKING?!! MOVE IT!!!"  
  
Seeing the weapons, the bystanders ran off like the cowards they were. Sethylos's bodyguards stepped forward to take care of the intruders, but Sethylos held up his hand to stop them. Mullen ran up to Leen, untied her, and pulled her to her feet. She immediately drew her saber, her eyes flashing as angrily as the others'.  
  
"You fools," Sethylos hissed. "How dare you disrupt this ceremony!! You are angering the great Gaia!! He is still waiting to recieve the souls of the last of the Icarians!"  
  
They didn't show any signs of backing down. "LET...FEENA...GO!!!" Justin shouted, rage pounding through his veins.  
  
"I am terribly sorry," Sethylos replied. "But I must kill her, boy! Orders are orders, after all.  
  
"Who ordered you to kill her?!!!" Justin demanded, moving the tip of his blade under the frightening man's chin.  
  
"I did!!" an angry and familiar voice called out, and it didn't come from Sethylos.  
  
"Did...you...hear...that?" Sue whispered.  
  
"I heard it," Justin answered. "But...I didn't hear it." He looked around the shrine, confused. No one else was in the shrine but his friends and Sethylos. "Wh-who said that?!  
  
Sethylos only smiled nastily. "He did!" He reached into his headdress, and pulled something out that struck terror in the hearts of Justin and his friends.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	14. Return of Baal

CHAPTER 14:  
  
RETURN OF BAAL  
  
The group stared in disbelief at the object Sethylos held in his hands. It looked like a green, slimy grub, about a foot long, wriggling about. The disgusting creature looked at them with two large, red eyes bulging out of its round head. Justin recognized the little creature very quickly.  
  
"B-Baal?!" Justin stammered.  
  
"Yes, Justin," the creature replied in a chilling voice. It didn't have a mouth, but it could still speak telepathically, which amazed everyone. Baal squinted his red eyes sinisterly. "How do you all like my new look?" he chuckled.  
  
Feena began to stir on the table. She peaked her eye open and looked around. When she noticed Baal, her eyes popped wide open, and she screamed out. "You!!" she exclaimed, terrified.  
  
"Well, well," Baal mused. "It seems as if both the Hero and the Icarian have escaped Gaia with their lives. Impressive. Very impressive, indeed."  
  
Justin untied Feena, and scooped her off the table and onto her feet. "You're right about that, Baal!" Justin burst out. "You may still be alive, but you can't win, now! We've caused you to regress, and now you're too weak."  
  
Baal only chuckled. "Fools! That is where you are wrong, for I have evolved even further, and I have you, Justin and Feena, to thank for that!"  
  
"What are you talking about?! Now, I can easily slice you in two!!"  
  
"Well, if you're so confident, boy, then I'd like to see you try! Sethylos, place me on the ground!!"  
  
"Yes, Master," Sethylos replied, grinning. He set Baal down in front of Justin and backed away.  
  
Justin immediately lifted his sword high above his head and, with a shout, swung it down at the evil worm. Baal didn't even seem worried as the blade came flying towards him with deadly accuracy. However, before the sword had even halfway reached its target, it stopped. For some odd reason, Justin was just holding it in the air above Baal.  
  
"What are you waiting for, Justin?!" Feena exclaimed. "Kill him, quickly!!"  
  
"I-I'm trying, Feena! But...I...can't...move!!" Justin then screamed as he was thrown across the room by some unseen force.  
  
"Justin!!" Feena screamed, running to his side. She helped him to his feet as he gasped from the air being knocked out of him.  
  
Baal laughed wickedly. "Oldest trick in the book!!"  
  
Justin charged at him again, and was suddenly pulled upwards and suspended in the air by nothing!  
  
"Try this on for size!" Baal exclaimed.  
  
Justin then flew towards the wall and, shielding his eyes, collided into it face first. He plummeted to the ground next to Feena, blood pouring out of his nostrils.  
  
"Justin!! Are you all right?!!" she asked, bending down to him.  
  
"F-Feena," he replied through the pain in his face, "I think we're in trouble." He was right. Although Baal could no longer harm them physically, he had mastered the power of telekinesis!  
  
"So, you still wish to kill me, do you?" Baal taunted as Justin staggered to his feet. "Well, then, here's your chance!!" Everyone in the room, except Justin, Feena, Baal, and Sethylos, suddenly fell unconscious. "It's a fight to the death," Baal challenged. "Just the Hero and Icarian versus me and my servant!"  
  
"Fine!" Justin accepted. "Come on, Feena!" They both stood before the deadly worm, readying their weapons. "Blast 'im, Feena!!"  
  
Feena shut her eyes as if in prayer. An iridescent pair of beautiful, green wings of light sprouted out of her shoulder blades, filling the entire shrine with warm, green light. She opened her eyes again, and her wings faded away. Usually, this was very effective against anything 'Gaia', but, to her horror, this had no effect whatsoever on Baal!  
  
"What the..." she stammered. "That should have vaporized him!!"  
  
"I'm afraid that little trick of yours will be of no use to you, anymore!" Baal laughed. "Sethylos! Show these vermin your little trick!!"  
  
Sethylos laughed evilly, and a pair of wings of light sprouted out of his shoulders. He had wings of light, just like Feena and Leen! However, unlike the twins' wings, his were black, hideous, and bat-like. The purple light that filled the room was not warm at all, but chilling to the marrow of Justin's and Feena's bones. Feena suddenly emitted an ear-piercing scream, and dropped to her knees.  
  
"Feena!" Justin shouted. "What's wrong?!"  
  
"So...much...pain!!! Aaahhh!!! Whole...body...in...so...much...pain!!!"  
  
Justin wrapped his arms tightly around her as she screamed like someone was murdering her. The sensation that she felt right now was like knives being stabbed into every inch of her body. Finally, the purple light faded, and Feena quit screaming. She was panting heavily in Justin's arms.  
  
"Had enough, mortals?" Baal chuckled. "You can't win. In fact, I pity you!"  
  
"We'll never give up!" Justin shouted. "We'll keep fighting you, no matter what!"  
  
"He's right!" Feena exclaimed, standing up. "And I'll keep fighting, also! We won't let you win!!"  
  
"You imbeciles! Haven't you figured out that I can make you do anything I want?! You haven't even tasted my wrath yet!!"  
  
Suddenly, Justin grabbed Feena by the throat and slammed her to the ground. As she stared up at him, he held her down and placed the blade of his sword under her chin, looking down at her menacingly.  
  
"J-Justin?!" Feena stammered in fear. "Wh-what are you doing?!! I-it's me, Feena!" He stayed in his current position. He clenched the hilt of his sword tighter. "J-Justin, I...I know that you don't mean to do this!!"  
  
"He isn't doing this," Baal explained. "I am!"  
  
Then, Feena understood. Baal was controlling Justin! "Justin, fight it!! Don't let Baal get into your head! Fight it!!" Justin continued to glare down at her homicidally. He raised his sword up over his head. Feena looked up at him sadly. "I...I shall forgive you, Justin." She closed her eyes, waiting for the blade to cut through her.  
  
"Run," she heard Justin say. She opened her eyes. His sword was still held above his head. "Run, Feena!" She then noticed that Justin wasn't holding her down, anymore. "I said, run, Feena! Quickly!!" She then kicked out from under him just as he swung his sword down. It missed her, but kept in motion. Justin let go of the sword and let it fly out of his hand and towards Baal.  
  
"What?!" Baal cried in disbelief as he watched the sword flying towards him. "NNNNNOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed as the sword pierced through his worm-like body, shooting his body fluids all over the shrine.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	15. Obtaining Valueable Information

CHAPTER 15:  
  
OBTAINING VALUEABLE INFORMATION  
  
Sethylos fled from the shrine in fear when he saw his master struck down. Justin staggered to his feet and walked up to Baal. The sword had completely sliced him open, revealing his gooey insides. Baal was still alive, and he raised his head up at Justin.  
  
"R-resistance...is...f-futile!" Baal stammered. "Y-you will...never...defeat...me...or Gaia!!"  
  
"Just admit it Baal!" Justin shouted. "You've lost!! There's no way you can recover from damage like that!!"  
  
"Fool!! Obviously...you...do not...know. E-everytime you...defeat me...in battle...you only...trigger...my evolution!!"  
  
"Wh-what?!" Justin exclaimed. He thought about what Baal had just said. The first time Justin fought Baal was on the Grandeur. After defeating him, Baal had that freaky shoulder of his. Then, he faced him in the J Base, and Baal evolved again. Finally, Justin fought Baal in Gaia itself, and he became that grub-thing. "No!" Justin cried out in disbelief. "I-it can't be!! Are you trying to tell me that every time we tried to destroy you, we've only been helping your evolution along?!!"  
  
"Y-you see, boy?!! You...cannot...win! Wh-why...don't you just...give up...while you...still have the chance?!!"  
  
"Give up?! Never!! I don't care if I have to fight you for the rest of my life! I won't back down to you!! I'll keep coming for you, Baal! I'll keep coming for you, no matter what!!!" And with that, Justin raised his leg up, and stomped his foot down on the worm's round head, splattering warm juices all over himself. However, he knew that this would barely help, for Baal wasn't completely gone. He would soon evolve yet again.  
  
"Justin," Feena spoke up from behind him. "Baal will return, won't he?"  
  
This, however, didn't matter to Justin right now. He kept looking at the damage Baal had received from the Spirit Sword, and dropped to his knees, a look of shock on his face. "F-Feena," he began, completely devastated. "I...I could have...killed you. I...I almost...killed...the person...I care about...more than anyone else."  
  
Feena walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "It wasn't your fault," she replied, comforting him. "That wasn't you holding me to the ground. It was Baal."  
  
The others began to awaken. "Wh-what happened?" Leen asked, confused.  
  
"Don't worry," Justin said. He looked down at what remained of Baal. "It's all over...for now."  
  
"So," a voice called out from behind them. Everyone turned around to see a short, old man hobbling up to them. "You have succeeded in defeating the evil one."  
  
"Wh-who are you?" Justin asked the old man.  
  
"I am Agron, Gaia researcher of Uolegna."  
  
"What?! Gaia researcher?!" Justin exclaimed, recoiling.  
  
"Relax, relax! I'm on your side. You say that you want to defeat Gaia, once and for all. I can help you with that. I have been studying Gaia for most of my life, so I know more about it than anyone else."  
  
"But, why do you want to help us? Don't you worship Gaia, like the rest of those psychos?"  
  
"Oh, of course not. Ever since I was a boy, I have been interested in Gaia. After discovering just how powerful and destructive it could be, I wished to find a way to destroy it. In order to do that, I needed to know everything about Gaia. When I was seventeen, I found this continent, and came upon the Uolegnanians. I soon realized that these people worship Gaia, and this is where I would be able to find out all there is to know about Gaia. The Uolegnanians ended up revering me as a Gaia researcher, never realizing that my goal is to find a way to finally bring Gaia to its end. So, go ahead. Ask me anything about Gaia, and I'll give you the answer. I know that you have many questions."  
  
"Well, actually, I have only one question," Justin began. "How do we defeat Gaia? The legends say that only the Hero and Icarian can defeat Gaia, but that didn't work!"  
  
"Justin, it's true that only the Hero and Icarian, working together, are able to defeat Gaia. The Spirits have chosen you and Feena to defeat Gaia, centuries before either of you were even born. That is your destiny. That is why the Spirits have allowed Feena to be born an Icarian. That is why the Spirits have allowed you, Justin, to leave Parm. That is why the Spirits have allowed you two to even meet in the first place!"  
  
"I know that! But, if that is our destiny, why didn't it work?!"  
  
"Justin, the legends also say that two Icarians are required to defeat Gaia. Why else do you think Feena was born with a twin? When you and Feena last faced Gaia, you only did fifty percent of the job. You needed two Icarians, not one. And, if two Icarians were born to oppose Gaia, than there should be two Heroes as well, one for each Icarian.  
  
"What? There are two Heroes?!" Justin exclaimed. "But, who's the second one?"  
  
"Well, the legends say that 'two Icarians and two Heroes will be born to defeat the evil Gaia. The Icarians will be twins and both female, one with red wings, the other with green. There will be two Heroes, each male, each the soul mate of one Icarian. One will be the son of an adventurer and pirate. The other will have an evil father, with an evil heart, and a humanoid mother.' Can you think of anyone like that?"  
  
"The other...will have an evil father...and a humanoid mother," Justin repeated. "Hey! That...that's you, Mullen!!"  
  
"Wait a minute, Justin," Feena interrupted. "What will happen now that we've defeated Gaia incorrectly?"  
  
"If you want the answer to that question," Agron began, "just look at Baal. Every time you've defeated him in battle, you've caused him to evolve. He had Gaia's DNA injected into him just so he could obtain the ability to evolve, so that he'd grow more and more powerful in battle. Now that you've defeated him again, he will soon evolve again."  
  
"So, Gaia's evolution was also a result of our defeating it," Justin replied. It all made sense now. Every time Gaia evolved, it was also after being defeated. After being immobilized at Zil Padon, Gaia evolved to its second stage of metamorphosis. Then, Leen blew it up, causing it to evolve once again. Now that they've defeated it a third time, who knew what would come out of that tree?! "So this is why I still have the Spirit Sword. Our job really isn't over. This is bad, Feena. Really bad."  
  
"Well, Justin," Agron began again. "Perhaps what you call 'bad luck' is actually 'good luck'."  
  
"Huh? Why's that?"  
  
"Think of it, Justin. The Spirits have allowed you to keep the Spirit Sword because your job wasn't finished yet. It's the same reason that Leen came back from the dead. Her job wasn't finished yet, so she was brought back to try again. If you had succeeded in defeating Gaia, Justin, Leen would have never come back."  
  
"I...I guess that kinda makes sense. But, something else is bothering me. When Feena used the power of the Icarians to defeat Baal just now, why didn't it work?"  
  
"Well, when Baal evolved, he must have developed an immunity to the power of the Icarians. Chances are that the same goes for Gaia as well."  
  
"What?!!!" Justin exclaimed. "What are we gonna do?! Gaia could emerge from its cocoon at any time now!!"  
  
"Well, the power of the Icarians should work if Feena and Leen use them together. However, they won't be effective if both of the Heroes are not present as well."  
  
It was now clear to them what their true destinies were. The Spirits have planned this retaliation against Gaia since the dawn of time. Now, it was time to put this plan to action.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	16. The Mountains of Depression

CHAPTER 16:  
  
THE MOUNTAINS OF DEPRESSION  
  
"We've got to get back to East Elencia," Feena announced. "We have to stop Gaia before it's too late. If we're lucky, we might be able to kill it before it gets a chance to evolve."  
  
"Yeah, but how?" Justin asked. "Guido's boat was destroyed by that giant monster."  
  
"You can use mine," Agron offered.  
  
"Really?! Thanks!"  
  
"However, it's quite a distance away. The shortest route to the boat is through the Mountains of Depression, but they're said to be extremely dangerous. The only way you can get to it is to walk clear around the mountains, but that will take at least a week...."  
  
"But, we may not have a week!" Mullen interrupted.  
  
"He's right," Justin thought to himself. "I say we head through the mountains. Since the world's in danger, the journey is worth the risk!"  
  
"Actually," Agron began again, "it isn't the mountains themselves that's dangerous. There's said to be a curse upon them."  
  
"Argh!!" Feena moaned. "Is there anyplace on this continent that isn't said to be cursed?!"  
  
"So, you don't believe in curses, do you?"  
  
"No, I don't! For the last time, curses are just a bunch of crap to make some places seem more interesting than others!"  
  
"Obviously, my dear, you do not know of the legends. They say that, thousands of years ago, a Uolegnanian chief was murdered and robbed by a pair of bandits while on a hunting trip in the mountains. As the chief slowly and painfully died, however, he muttered a curse on the Mountains of Depression. That night, the entire village heard a frightful moaning sound from the mountains, like a cross between a scream and a howl, and later, the two bandits were found dead in the chief's sleeping quarters. Although the chief had gotten his revenge on the bandits, many hunters have claimed that they've faintly heard the chief's inhuman moaning while in the mountains, and there are some who say that they've actually seen the spirit of the murdered chief."  
  
"And, how do you know that the legends are even true?"  
  
"Because I am one of those who have seen him, and it's possible that you may spot him as well. However, if you do come across him, he will be unrecognizable as a human. His spirit has taken a new form...not human...but something else.... Something...entirely different!"  
  
With these words said, Agron guided the travelers out of the city and to the beginning of the Mountains of Depression.  
  
"I wish you all a safe journey," Agron bid the adventurers as they descended into the mountains.  
  
Leaving Agron behind, Justin climbed up the first mountain. He was used to traveling through mountain ranges, so he didn't feel too uncomfortable. As they climbed higher and higher, the pine trees surrounding them were quickly replaced with snow and rock. The air was gradually becoming thinner and colder. Finally, they reached the top of the first mountain.  
  
"Only...two...hundred...more...to...go," Justin panted, watching his breath form a large cloud in front of his face.  
  
Before they knew it, night soon fell. A full moon gave the snow-covered mountains an eerie glow. The wind howled through the mountains' peaks, making it seem like the mountains were whispering to each other. Then, Justin heard it. A chilling scream, or howl, or a mixture of the two echoed softly across the mountains.  
  
"You hear that?" Justin spoke up.  
  
"Must be the wind," Feena suggested, but looking fearful.  
  
The scream/howl steadily grew louder until it was almost deafening, forcing everyone to cover his or her ears in pain.  
  
"That was no wind!" Justin exclaimed, as the chilling sound grew silent once again.  
  
"Justin," Sue began, pointing to the sky. "Wh-what's...that...up...there?"  
  
They all looked towards the sky to where Sue was pointing. A large, black shape could be seen flying in the sky. It had a sixteen-foot wingspan, dark fur covering its entire body, and long talons. Suddenly, the thing swooped down at the group.  
  
"Get down!" Justin yelled as he pulled Feena and Sue down into the snow with him.  
  
The creature barely missed them as it flew overhead. It landed about twenty feet from the group. In the darkness, they could barely see it, but the moonlight revealed some of its features. It looked like an eight-foot man covered from head to toe with either dark fur or dark feathers. A large pair of black wings spread out from behind its black body. The creature had a head with no face, except for two large, luminous, red eyes that lit up the scene like lanterns. Just the mere sight of those chilling eyes scared the hell out of the entire group.  
  
Justin wanted to either reach for his sword or run away from this creature. However, he could do neither. He just continued to stare into those frightening eyes as if under hypnosis. After what seemed like an eternity, the creature finally spread its wings and took off into the night sky.  
  
"What...was...that?!" Rapp exclaimed as the creature disappeared behind another mountain.  
  
"I know as much as you do," Justin answered.  
  
All of a sudden, a faint rumbling sound could be heard from the top of a nearby mountain, growing louder and louder. Justin looked up at the mountain, and his eyes opened wide in fear.  
  
"Guys," he said. "Start running."  
  
"Why?" Feena asked.  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
They all looked up at the mountain to see an avalanche speeding towards them, growing larger and larger in size as it gathered more and more snow. Unfortunately, it was far too late for the group to start running, and the wall of snow soon hit Justin with the force of a locomotive.  
  
Justin slid down the slope at blinding speed. He had completely lost sight of the others. In fact, all he could see was white. The snow slowed down just enough for Justin to see. Looking up, he saw that he was headed straight for a cliff! He plunged his feet into the ground to stop himself, but he kept in motion. The cliff was getting nearer and nearer. He shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for the fall, and felt himself stop sliding. He opened his eyes slowly, and saw that only his feet were sticking out over the ledge. Justin sighed loudly, and collapsed his head against the ground.  
  
"I hate mountains!" he said to himself. "Is everyone alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so," Feena called out, standing up.  
  
"I've got snow in places that I didn't even know I had!" Sue complained.  
  
"Mullen!" Leen shouted.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where's Mullen?!!"  
  
"Down here!" he shouted. They looked over the cliff and saw him clinging to the ledge with his bare hands.  
  
"Mullen!!" Leen screamed, running up to him. "Hold on, I've got you!" She grabbed his arms and pulled him up onto the ledge. Leen wrapped her arms around him. "Don't...ever...do that to me again!" she said angrily into his ear.  
  
By daylight, they found their way out of the mountains and onto a beach. The travelers quickly boarded Agron's boat, which they found tied to a dock, and they were soon headed for East Elencia to finish the job that they had started.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	17. Return to East Elencia

CHAPTER 17:  
  
RETURN TO EAST ELENCIA  
  
As they sailed westward, Justin kept wondering about that creature they saw in the mountains. Although it was creepy, it seemed so human. Could it have been the spirit of the murdered Uolegna Chief? And did it cause that avalanche, or was it trying to warn them of it?  
  
By evening, the boat had reached East Elencia, and was docked somewhere on the eastern coast, near J Base. Justin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Gaia was still inside the tree. But how long would it remain that way?  
  
"I say we just torch the sucker!" Rapp suggested. "I mean, it's a tree, right?"  
  
"Rapp," Feena began. "Do you know how big of a fire it would take to burn a tree that size?"  
  
"Hey," Justin exclaimed, interrupting the argument. "What's this?" He pointed to a stone plaque on the ground. It seemed like some sort of memorial, and it read:  
  
IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR FRIENDS, JUSTIN, FEENA, SUE, RAPP, MULLEN, AND LEEN, WHO LOST THEIR LIVES AT SEA. MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE.  
  
"Oh, I forgot," Justin said to himself. "Everyone thinks we've all died." As the group read the plaque, Justin noticed that it said absolutely nothing about Nana, Saki, or Mio. He turned to them, and saw them walking behind a large boulder. Justin became intensely curious, and snuck up to listen in on their conversation.  
  
"That plaque...." he heard Saki begin. "Nobody...even...mentioned...us...on that plaque."  
  
"Saki," Mio began. "Are...are you...crying?"  
  
"O-of...of course, not! Me? Crying?!" But as she said this, tears were visibly streaming down her face. She suddenly stopped playing pretend and let it all out. "Argh! The whole world thinks that we're gone forever! And...nobody even cares! Nobody even knew we existed, unless we were shouting orders! Even my own parents didn't care about me!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Nana asked.  
  
"Wh-when I was a little girl, my parents never acknowledged me! I was an only child, and I still couldn't be noticed! So, when I was thirteen, I ran away from home for a few days to see if they would notice. And, one night, I looked in my house from the living room window, and saw my mother and father, exactly the same as they had been before I ran away. Seeing that they never really cared for me, I never went back, and joined the army."  
  
"I didn't know you ran away from home," Nana said. "So did I."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When I was young, my parents never even knew I existed, either. I hated my parents. They were both alcoholics, and my father constantly abused me."  
  
"Abused you?" Mio repeated.  
  
"Yup. So, when I was nine, I ran away from home and joined Garlyle."  
  
"You were...nine?!" Saki asked, amazed. "What about you, Mio?"  
  
"Oh, I never ran away from my parents."  
  
"Of course not," Nana began. "You're too well-behaved to do that."  
  
"Well, actually, I never ran away from my parents because I never knew them. I grew up in an orphanage."  
  
"You were an orphan?"  
  
"Yes, and I hated it there. All of the other kids would tease me about my glasses, and called me ugly, and all sorts of other stuff. And, do you know what it's like to be in an orphanage, and watch every kid being adopted except you?"  
  
As Justin listened to their stories, it made more sense to him why they were always so nasty and mean. And who could blame them, he thought to himself. They had lived their entire lives without any acknowledgement, without any love, without...any...friends. He thought back to when he saved them from the manticore. That must have been the only time they received kindness from anyone.  
  
Saki suddenly looked behind the boulder and spotted Justin. "What do you want?"  
  
"I...I overheard your conversation." She only stared crossly at him. But then, Mio came around.  
  
"Hey, Justin," she began. "I've...been wondering. Why did you actually save us from the manticore? Aren't you mad at us for all we've done to you? There are times when we could have killed you!"  
  
"Well," he began. "Maybe there really was no reason. I have to admit, you three were a big pain in the butt at times, but you're still human, aren't you?"  
  
Mio blushed slightly. Maybe the world isn't completely devoid of kindness, she thought to herself. Maybe the world did still have some, if looked for it hard enough.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	18. Reressurection

CHAPTER 18:  
  
RE-RESSURECTION  
  
"Hey, who's that?" Justin wondered, pointing down the shore. Two people had arrived in a boat, and were headed their way. Justin and the others hid behind the boulder to see who these people were without being spotted. These two were the last that Justin wanted to run into, Sethylos...and Baal! But Baal was no longer a worm. He had evolved yet again into his human form. Now, he could use telekinesis and attack physically.  
  
"There it is, Master," Sethylos announced, pointing to the giant tree.  
  
"Yes," Baal hissed. "Gaia will evolve soon. I can feel it!" Baal walked up to the tree, and touched the bark with his palm. "I know you can hear me, Gaia," he said to the tree. "Do you remember me? I am the one who gave you life, once again. You can't wait to break out of this cocoon of yours, can you?" He paused for a moment, as if thinking. "I can help you, Gaia. I can help you survive. All you have to do...is give me command of your army. You can trust me with your soldiers. I was once a general." He closed his eyes, keeping his palm on the tree, as if waiting for an answer. Then, he opened his eyes, and grinned evilly. "I knew you would make the right decision, Gaia." The tree suddenly grew warm on Baal's hand. "It's getting very warm," he muttered to himself. "Its about to evolve!" Baal backed away from the tree, looking up into the branches.  
  
"Oh, boy," Justin exasperated. "This is it." He held his breath tightly as the pine needles swayed in the wind.  
  
Then, the ground shook, and the tree began to expand as if something was pushing on the sides of it from the inside. "This is just like my dream," Justin said out loud. The bark began to slowly crack loudly, releasing a thick, goopy, tar-like substance. Finally, as in Justin's dream, the tree exploded, sending pine needles and pieces of bark flying everywhere. Where the tree once stood, there was just a large hole in the ground.  
  
Baal and Sethylos, both covered in pine needles, looked down into the hole. Something enormous began to emerge from the hole. It was Gaia, just as everyone remembered it. Fully emerged from the ground, Gaia towered up to its full height, and spread its massive wings. Even worse, this Gaia was much, much more powerful than the last.  
  
"You can come out now, Justin," Baal said, without turning around.  
  
Justin narrowed his eyes at Baal. "How...did you know...."  
  
Baal chuckled softly. "I'm psychic, remember?"  
  
Justin only stared at him, angrily.  
  
"So," Baal began. "The Hero and Icarian have come to save the day." He turned around, facing them. "Come back for another fight, eh? Well, here you go!!"  
  
Five Gaia Battlers suddenly emerged from the ground. Shaking dirt off of themselves, they opened their circular mouths, and roared fiercely at Justin and the others. Although they had no eyes, they could still 'see' the adventurers with their heat-sensors, like a rattlesnake.  
  
"Oh, no! Not these guys again!!!" Justin exclaimed, clutching the hilt of his sword.  
  
"DISPOSE OF THEM!!!" Baal commanded the monsters.  
  
The Gaia Battlers immediately surrounded them, saliva dripping from their pointed teeth. At first, they just stood there. But, then, one of them bent down, and opened its head, revealing a large, green gland, which began to glow brightly.  
  
"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!!!" Justin commanded. They all dropped to the floor, and the Gaia Battler shot deadly, green rays of light out of this gland. However, the rays of light went right over the targets, and hit two other Gaia Battlers instead, incinerating them.  
  
Justin readied his sword, and sliced another one right down the middle. Only two left.  
  
One Battler swung its gorilla arm straight for Leen, but Mullen sliced that arm off just in time. The Battler then tripped Mullen with its foot, causing him to fall to the ground. It opened its head, preparing to blast him, when Leen plunged her saber down the center of the green gland. As the creature howled in pain, Mullen stood up and shoved his sword straight through its body. And then, there was one.  
  
The last one charged at Sue. It scooped her up with its long, blue fingers, and opened its mouth, preparing to crush her skull in its jaws. As it held her up to its mouth, however, Sue grabbed her bow and an arrow, and shot it into the creature's open mouth. It swayed from side to side, and then plummeted to the ground, dead.  
  
"That takes care of them," Justin said. But then, he heard the ground rumble. He looked at the horizon and saw an entire army of Gaia Battlers, stretching as far as he could see, and coming straight for them.  
  
"Hmm," Rapp began, seeing the reinforcements coming straight for them. "Maybe, we...should...RUN!!!!!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	19. A Look into the Future?

CHAPTER 19:  
  
A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE?  
  
Baal was standing upon one of Gaia's massive wings, and had witnessed the adventurers defeat the five Gaia Battlers.  
  
"Impressive," he said to himself. "I see they have gotten stronger." He looked towards the enormous army of Gaia Battlers that he had called forth. "But, no matter. Our army is made up of a million strong. And if we begin to run out of Battlers, Gaia will make more for us to command." He turned back to Justin's group running away at the sight of the reinforcements. "They've made a wise decision, retreating like that. They don't stand a chance against that many Battlers."  
  
"So," Sethylos began. "How do you plan on achieving victory?"  
  
"Our goal is to create a better world. In order to do that, the people of the world must bow down to Gaia and me. Once that happens, we will know that we have achieved world domination."  
  
"And how will you get the entire world to bow down to Gaia and you."  
  
"How else? We'll make them! A little intimidation is all it takes to bring someone to his or her knees. Gaia is the most powerful weapon in existence, having the strength of a thousand hydrogen bombs. It is not a weapon of mass destruction...but a weapon...of total destruction. But first...we must kill all of those who oppose Gaia...starting with the two Heroes and Icarians. Once those four are out of the way, the world is ours for the taking. I shall rule a new and improved world, with Gaia as the almighty god."  
  
* * *  
  
Justin watched the army of Gaia Battlers come closer and closer. "RUN!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. They all turned and began sprinting away as fast as their legs could carry them.  
  
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Leen suddenly grabbed her leg and fell to the ground. Everyone else stopped to see why she had screamed.  
  
"Leen!!" Mullen shouted, turning around. "Leen, what are doing?! Get up!!"  
  
"I can't! I've got a cramp!!" The Battlers were getting closer at an alarming rate. "Just leave me, Mullen!"  
  
"I'm not losing you again!!" They all wanted to keep going, but they just couldn't leave Leen behind for those Battlers.  
  
Leen noticed a large shadow move over her. She looked up, and right into the face of a Gaia Battler standing over her. She shut her eyes tightly, as hot, stinking globs of saliva fell from the Battler's pointed teeth.  
  
"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!" Mullen shouted as he charged straight for the creature.  
  
The Battler swung its massive arm at Mullen, knocking him to the ground. Turning back to Leen, it wrapped its long, blue fingers around her neck, and pulled her up into the air, forcing her to look into its snarling face.  
  
Suddenly, and without warning, a large fireball hit the Battler, knocking it off its feet. Leen flew out of its grasp and fell to the ground. Justin looked up to see who had shot the fireball and, to his surprise, saw Liete hovering in the air! Justin looked in front of him and saw that the rest of the Battler army was almost upon them.  
  
"Hang on!" Liete exclaimed. She raised her staff, and it emitted a blue light, which surrounded the group and formed a barrier between them and the Battlers.  
  
The Battlers pounded fiercely on the barrier, but it remained strong. Liete raised her staff again, and an intensely bright light engulfed Justin and the others. When the light subsided, Justin saw that he was in the Great Library of Alent. Liete had obviously teleported them there.  
  
"Is anyone hurt?" Liete asked, concerned.  
  
"Not yet, at least," Justin answered. "How did you know we were still alive?"  
  
"I didn't. You're lucky I was passing by when those Battlers attacked." She paused. "I'm really glad you're still alive."  
  
"Liete," Feena began. "You're not going to like to hear this. Gaia's back."  
  
"I know," she answered. "Actually, I've known for quite some time that Gaia has not completely disappeared." She suddenly became very gloomy. "I...I feel...that we cannot win. Even the Hero and Icarian couldn't save us."  
  
"No! Liete, you've got to think positively!" Justin exclaimed. "We can beat this thing, I know we can!"  
  
"Justin, Gaia has advanced to its fourth stage of metamorphosis. At this high of an evolutionary stage, Gaia is practically invincible."  
  
"Stop it! There's a way to do this! Good always conquers evil!"  
  
"Until now. Come, look what I've found." She stepped up to a nearby wall and touched her staff against it. The wall opened up into a brightly lit portal. "I've recently discovered this portal. In all of my three thousand years in this library, I didn't even know that this was here. It's a portal to the near future...and it looks bleak. Follow me." She disappeared into the portal.  
  
"You think we should?" Sue asked. "Even if time travel is possible, I hear that it's very risky."  
  
"I'm going," Justin announced. "Anyone else?" They all stood still for a moment, but then Feena stepped forward, and the others hesitantly followed.  
  
Justin's eyes were filled with the intensely bright light as he stepped through the portal. Finally, the light subsided and, in its place, was a horrifying scene. They were in the city of Zil Padon, but it was very different looking. The buildings were almost completely destroyed. Gaia Battlers were marching up and down the streets like terrifying law enforcers. The air was so thick with Gaia's spores that the sun could hardly be seen. Gaia's enormous tentacles stuck up out of the ground here and there. The city wasn't deserted, however. People could be seen walking up and down the streets, but they looked very fearful. Rain was pouring down from the dark clouds.  
  
"Liete! Where are you?!" Feena called out.  
  
"Over here!" She appeared from behind a building and ran up to them, plodding through the mud from the rain. "Welcome, my friends. Welcome...to the future."  
  
"W-we've lost, haven't we?" Justin asked Liete.  
  
"I'm afraid so, Justin. And this future isn't distant. As unbelievable as it may seem, this is only a few days from our time. Gaia and Baal have succeeded in conquering the world."  
  
"What about the rest of our friends? Gadwin? Guido? Milda?"  
  
"All dead...even me. Once Gaia had achieved world domination, Baal ordered the Gaia Battlers to kill all who have ever opposed Gaia."  
  
"Make way for Emperor Baal!!" someone shouted.  
  
"Emperor Baal?!" Justin repeated. 'Emperor Baal' emerged from the crowd and walked towards the group. The citizens of Zil Padon bowed down in fear as he walked by.  
  
"He's coming this way!!" Feena screamed.  
  
"You need not fear," Liete told her. "No one here is able to see or hear us." She was right. Baal walked right past them.  
  
"Hey," Nana began. "Th-that's...us!!" She pointed to the Nana, Saki and Mio of the near future. They were following Baal, but they didn't seem at all pleased to be doing so.  
  
"Sergeants," Baal began. "Order your squads to burn the church of Zil Padon."  
  
"Excuse me?!" the future Nana exclaimed.  
  
"That is an order! We must leave no traces of any original religions. Gradually, we shall abolish every religion in existence. It's time for the world to begin praying to their new God, Gaia!"  
  
"Sir, I...." Saki protested.  
  
"That is an order!! Burn the church." He pointed to a large, temple-like church twenty feet from him. "Then, do the same with Laine, then Cafu, et cetera, until the church of every city in the known world is burned."  
  
"But...but...." Nana began again.  
  
"Imbeciles! Fine, I'll do it myself!!" He held his hand up to the church, and in minutes, it was magically set ablaze. People screamed as they ran out of the burning church, some clutching severe burns on their bodies.  
  
The future Mio, who had remained quiet this whole time, quickly went into rage. "That...that's it, Baal!!! You...You're out of control!!!"  
  
"Sergeant Mio, you will address to me as either Emperor Baal or Sir!"  
  
"I won't help you, anymore!! This is just wrong!!!"  
  
"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO YOUR EMPEROR IN THIS FASHION!!!!!"  
  
"You're not an emperor!! You're a tyrant and a madman!!!"  
  
In one swift movement, Baal unsheathed his sword and shoved it through the sergeant's body.  
  
"MIO!!" Nana and Saki shouted.  
  
Mio clutched the blade of the sword as it was slowly driven deeper and deeper into her body, rupturing vital organs and shredding tissue. She looked up into Baal's merciless face. He yanked the bloody sword from the girl's body, and she fell to her knees, clutching her fatal wound. She swayed from side to side, and fell face first into the mud.  
  
Nana and Saki ran up to their fallen comrade, and rolled her onto her back. Saki placed her index and middle finger under Mio's jaw to feel for a pulse. She slowly turned to Nana and shook her head in disbelief. They both looked up at Baal.  
  
"Stupid girl," he muttered out loud. Then, he walked away, leaving the sergeants grieving over their lost friend, her blood coloring the mud and puddles around her crimson red. The real Mio watched the scene in terror, knowing that her death was only a few days away.  
  
Feena smelled something like a rotten carcass, and turned around to see what it was. Suddenly, she screamed, and clasped her hands over her mouth in shock.  
  
They all turned around, and gasped at the horrifying scene that lay before them. Feena wrapped her arms around Justin's neck, and buried her face in his shoulder. Right in front of them were the mutilated bodies of Justin, Feena, Mullen, and Leen. The corpses were completely disemboweled, and impaled on large stakes sticking up from the ground. The stench of the corpses was unbearable, indicating that they had been dead for quite a few days.  
  
"Oh God!" Rapp blurted out. "I...I think...I'm gonna be sick!!" He ran behind a building, clutching his mouth and stomach, to regurgitate.  
  
Liete turned back to the corpses. "Baal put those up as a warning of what will happen to anyone else who tries to oppose Gaia," she explained. "And I'm pretty sure that it's working."  
  
Justin kept staring at the bodies. He could see his own eyes staring back at him blankly. He watched as a group of vultures flew around in circles up in the sky. They descended down to the ground, and began to yank bits of rotting flesh from the corpses.  
  
"I won't let this happen!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I WON'T!!"  
  
"This is what will happen, Justin," Liete replied. "Whether you like it or n...."  
  
"No!! Whoever said that the future is etched in stone, anyway?!"  
  
"You should know by now that you can't win. Look all around you. Look at what the future shows us all."  
  
"I know. This is what the future shows us right now...but that doesn't mean that we don't have any power to prevent it! You may not be able to change the past...but you can change the future!! It's been done hundreds of times throughout history!!!"  
  
"And what if we all fail to change the future, Justin?" She waved her arms all around her. "This will happen, that's what!"  
  
"That still doesn't mean that we shouldn't try! Be honest, Liete! Are you really just going to sit back and let this happen, or are you going to get up and do something about it?!!!"  
  
"I don't know, Justin," Feena spoke up. "This future is sort of convincing."  
  
Justin grabbed Feena by the shoulders and angrily glared into her eyes. "Feena! That's why the future looks this way right now!! Because none of us believes we can do it!!!" His face and voice grew softer. "Believe in yourself, Feena!" he whispered. "Believe!"  
  
"L-Liete," Feena began. "Justin's right. We can't just let this happen. This isn't just our problem. This is the entire world's problem! Do you want to see us impaled on stakes? Do you want the entire world to be forced to worship Gaia?"  
  
Liete just stared back for a long time.  
  
"Let's go, guys," Justin said, leading them away. "We don't need her."  
  
"I understand, Liete," Feena called back. They went back towards the portal, and were about to step through it when Liete called back to them.  
  
"Wait!" she called. "I'm coming, too!!"  
  
"You mean you'll help us?" Justin replied eagerly.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders. "What do I have to lose?"  
  
Justin smiled back at her. Then, they stepped through the portal, together.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	20. Preparing for Battle

CHAPTER 20: PREPARING FOR BATTLE  
  
"So," Justin began as he stepped back through the portal and into the library. "Anyone have a plan?"  
  
"Well," Leen spoke up. "the Battlers should be on their way to Zil Padon right now...just as it did last time."  
  
"You mean we have to protect Zil Padon...again?!"  
  
"Of course, Justin," Feena replied. "Zil Padon is the closest city to Gaia, so it would obviously be taken first."  
  
"Well, we've done it before. We can do it again, can't we?"  
  
"It won't be so easy this time," Liete told him. Gaia is much stronger now, remember?"  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
"Stop wasting time, already!" Feena exclaimed. "We have to get to Zil Padon, NOW!"  
  
Liete raised her staff, and it emitted the same bright light that had teleported them to her library. When the light ceased, they all found themselves in the middle of Zil Padon. The city was still peaceful...for now.  
  
"We're going to need all the help we can get," Justin informed the others. "You all stay here and watch for the Battlers. I'm heading over to Guido's."  
  
"I'll come with you," Feena volunteered.  
  
Justin and Feena ran to the Mogay village at the other end of the city, found Guido's house, and knocked at the door.  
  
"Hey, Guido!" they both called from outside the door. "Guido, let us in!"  
  
"I'm-a coming!" Guido called back from inside. The door swung open, and Guido stood in the doorway. "Yes? Who is it?" He looked up at his two visitors. Suddenly, his eyes bugged wide open and his ears hung limply from his head. Then, to Justin and Feena's surprise, he emitted a high- pitched scream, quickly slammed the door, and pushed loads of furniture against it.  
  
"Guido, what's wrong?!" Feena asked.  
  
"GO AWAY!!" Guido screamed. "PLEASE, LEAVE-A ME BE!!!"  
  
"Guido, it's only us!" Justin exclaimed.  
  
"I'VE-A DONE-A NOTHING-A TO YOU!! WHY HAVE-A YOU COME-A BACK-A TO HAUNT-A ME SO?!!! WHAT-A KEEPS-A YOU FROM-A RESTING IN-A PEACE?!!"  
  
"Guido, what are you talking about?!!"  
  
"Justin, he still believes that we're dead," Feena reminded him.  
  
"JUST-A GO AWAY!!!" Guido called out. "I'VE-A GOT-A HOLY WATER AND I'M-A NOT AFRAID-A TO USE IT!!!"  
  
"Guido, we're not dead!!!"  
  
"WHERE'S-A THAT-A HOLY WATER?!! I KNOW IT'S AROUND-A HERE SOMEWHE.... Come again?"  
  
"We're not dead, Guido."  
  
"Justin...Feena...still...still alive?" Guido removed the furniture from the door and opened it. "Justin! Feena!" he exclaimed, his arms outstretched. He then pulled them into a surprisingly tight group hug, making Justin and Feena gasp for air. "Still alive! Still alive! Can't-a believe it! Can't-a believe it!" He finally let go of them so they could breathe. "Fancy that! Even-a the Sea Gods-a themselves-a couldn't-a dispose of-a you two!!"  
  
"I guess not!" Justin replied. "Sorry about your boat, though."  
  
"Oh, you two are much-a more important-a than-a some old-a boat. Besides, I have insurance!"  
  
"Listen, Guido, we don't have much time. Zil Padon is in danger!"  
  
"What-a do you mean?"  
  
"You remember Gaia?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, it turns out that Gaia hasn't really been beaten. It's still active, and has evolved once again!" There was a long pause from Guido. "And, it has sent a very large army of Gaia Battlers to take the city!"  
  
Guido's eyes widened with concern. "Oh my. Oh my!"  
  
"We need your help, Guido. This whole city needs all of our help."  
  
"Have-a you told anyone about-a this?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I need-a you to alert-a the citizens. We'll-a build an army of our own!" He quickly began to walk away.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?"  
  
"I'll-a be back in a couple of-a days. I'm-a setting off-a to look-a for-a reinforcements."  
  
"But we may not have a couple of days! Guido!!" But before he could stop him, Guido disappeared down the street. "Think he'll be back in time?" Justin asked Feena.  
  
"I hope," she replied. "But, I wouldn't worry too much. Guido's pretty reliable."  
  
They ran to the fountain at the center the city. "Hey! Everyone! Listen to me!" Justin called out to the villagers around him. He climbed up onto the fountain's ledge so everyone could see and hear him. The villagers gathered around him with confused looks on their faces. "Listen," he began. "You all probably remember us as the Hero and Icarian who defeated Gaia. But, it turns out that...well...Gaia is still alive. And it has sent an army of Gaia Battlers to conquer Zil Padon."  
  
There was a fearful murmur from Justin's audience. "How many are there?" one man asked.  
  
"Uh...about...several...thousand," Justin estimated.  
  
"Several thousand?!!" some onlookers exclaimed. "We don't stand a chance!!" a woman cried out. "I say we evacuate the city!!" a few people suggested.  
  
"Hey!" Justin shouted to get their attention again. "The very last thing we need to do is panic! This is where you all live! Are you just going to let those Battlers take it away? We have to defend the city. We've done it before, and we can surely do it again! I'll fight to the death if I have to! So, who's with me?" There was a long pause from the villagers. "Hey, I can't blame any of you for being afraid. If you won't fight, I'll understand."  
  
After a minute, one person stepped forward. Then, two more followed. Then, three more did the same, until every person stepped forward. Justin smiled to himself confidently.  
  
* * *  
  
Two days passed, and there was no sign of Guido. Justin began to grow nervous. What's taking him so long, Justin thought to himself. Even with all of the villagers helping us, we can't beat that many Battlers by ourselves! It didn't take long for the third day to pass, and there was still no sign of Guido. The villagers were beginning to lose hope. A small number of them left the city in fear.  
  
"Justin, are you sure this will work?" Feena asked him that night, in the hotel.  
  
"Well, I hope it does," he answered as he sat on his bed. "I can't promise anything, however."  
  
Feena walked up and sat down beside him. "Are you scared?"  
  
Justin chuckled to himself. "Scared? What is there to be scared of? Our odds are pretty good. There are at least five hundred of us, and several thousand of them." He then noticed that Feena was eyeing him suspiciously. "Aw, who am I kidding?! I'm not just scared. I'm paranoid!! I'm on the verge of having a nervous breakdown! I've nearly chewed my fingernails to the bone! I don't just have butterflies in my stomach. I have Rock Birds!" He paused. "But I'm still going to fight. My determination is much stronger than my fear." He looked up at Feena. "Are you scared?"  
  
Feena smiled slightly. "I've never been more afraid in all my life. We could lose our lives when the Battlers arrive."  
  
"You know, Feena, you don't have to fight if you're to afraid."  
  
"I know. But...I'm not going to back down. I want to fight. I want to protect this city."  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Guido finally returned. And he did find reinforcements. He brought back with him at least a thousand warriors from Laine, Cafu, Gumbo, Dight, and Garlyle. Among them were old friends, including Gadwin and Milda.  
  
"You think I've-a brought enough, Justin?" Guido asked with a big smile.  
  
"Oh, wow!" Justin exclaimed as he looked at the reinforcements. "Guido, you're awesome!"  
  
Guido had actually brought more than enough. Their numbers now lingered in the thousands, and their chances of defeating the Battlers were much higher.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	21. The Second Battle for Zil Padon

CHAPTER 21:  
  
THE SECOND BATTLE FOR ZIL PADON  
  
"Okay," Justin shouted. "Sue! Rapp! Guido! You three take command of the archers. Lead them to the top of the city walls. When the Battlers arrive, the archers will be the first to attack them. Liete! Hover above the city. You can fight the Battlers with your magic from above. Gadwin! You take command of the swordsmen. Mullen, Leen, and the three sergeants can help him. And you, Milda, you don't need to command anyone. You're an army all by yourself. Got it, everyone? Okay, then, form divisions!!" The entire army formed their divisions, readying for battle.  
  
"Justin," Feena began. "What about me? Don't you think I'm capable?"  
  
Justin put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Of course I do, Feena. I haven't forgot about you." He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "The reason I haven't assigned you anything is because...well...would you do me a favor?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"When the Battlers show up, would it be too much trouble for you could fight by my side?"  
  
"Okay, but why?"  
  
Justin moved in closer to Feena. "We'll give each other strength. We'll be able to look out for each other. And, besides...if this is our last stand...there's no one else in the world who I'd rather die with." He leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. Looking back into her eyes, he noticed that they had suddenly become tearful. All of a sudden, she flung her arms around his neck, and slammed her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her and began running his fingers through her hair.  
  
Feena pulled away rather hesitantly. "Justin...please...please, be careful."  
  
"Yeah. You too. Be careful, I mean."  
  
An hour passed, and there was still no sign of the Battlers. Many of the warriors were becoming very nervous.  
  
"You think they chickened out?" Justin asked Feena.  
  
"Either that," she replied, "or they're going to try to take us by surprise."  
  
Rain began to fall from the sky as a thunderstorm passed over the city. Suddenly, the earth shook, and a large, purple, clawed foot shot out of the ground from the center of the city, leaving a gaping hole in the ground. The entire Battler army poured out of the hole and charged at the warriors.  
  
"Holy shit!" Justin exclaimed. "They're attacking us from the inside out!"  
  
Even worse, it seemed that when Gaia evolved, the Battlers did as well. This Battler army was made up of many new kinds of Battlers. They looked and walked just like seven-foot, featherless emus. Unlike emus, however, they had no beaks. Instead, they had a pair of large, gnashing jaws strong enough to bite through human bone. Even worse were the talons on their tiny arms and birdlike feet, which were, at the most, about a foot long. Like the original Battlers, these ones were blind, having no eyes. They didn't really need them with their tiny heat-sensing organs, located above their mouth.  
  
Baal and Sethylos then emerged from the hole in the ground. Baal surveyed the landscape before him and breathed in heavily. "CHARGE!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.  
  
The creatures opened their mouths, emitted ear-splitting shrieks, and charged. Even with Guido's reinforcements, the warriors didn't seem to be a match for these new Battlers. In 10 seconds, Justin's army had already lost at least a fifty soldiers. The Battlers were too quick for the warriors. Whenever a Battler charged towards a warrior, it would almost always sink its teeth into his throat before he even had a chance to raise his weapon.  
  
Justin looked around at the chaos surrounding him. He could tell that his army was losing. Blood from the warriors flooded the ground. Then, he felt his feet leave the ground, and he collided into a brick wall. He looked up, his ears ringing, and saw Baal walking towards him. Baal narrowed his eyes on Justin, his face scrunched up in concentration. Justin felt his head bang mercilessly against the wall, nearly knocking him out. Baal was using his psychic powers on him. Justin attempted to reach for his sword, but Baal had too powerful of a "grip" on him. Justin felt his head pull back and slam against the wall once again. He felt a liquid running down into his eyes, and noticed that it was blood. He expected to feel his head rear back again, but it didn't. He then noticed that he had control over himself again. He turned his head to Baal. Feena had wrapped her whip around Baal's neck, breaking his concentration on Justin.  
  
After much effort, Baal pried Feena off his neck, and threw her to the ground. "I'll deal with you two later," he growled, and he ran back into the darkness.  
  
"You okay, Justin?" Feena asked, nursing his head wound.  
  
"I'll be fine," he answered, though feeling very lightheaded. He looked up at his army. Almost all of the soldiers were dead.  
  
"Justin! Help!" Sue's voice called out. He turned to see Sue and Rapp running towards them. A Battler was right behind them, snapping at their heels. Justin drew his sword, and charged towards the Battler. He leaped into the air, and brought it down upon the creature. The sword had cut the Battler, but not enough to do any lasting damage. Its exoskeleton was too tough. The Battler slammed its head against him, and sent him flying. When he hit the ground, he looked up and saw the Battler charging towards him, its jaws wide open.  
  
Guido ran up from behind the Battler and leaped into the air. "BABBALOO!!!!!" he shouted as he flew over the creature. He landed on its head, which it didn't seem to like at all, for it began to snap violently at the Mogay. Holding on tightly, Guido jabbed his daggers into either side of the Battler's skull. It howled in agony, thrashing about as Guido pushed the daggers in deeper. The creature ceased its screeching, and made a gurgling sound as blood dribbled out of every opening in its head. It swayed from side to side and fell dead onto the cobblestone.  
  
"Well, that's-a one-a down out of a thousand," Guido said to himself.  
  
"We'd better get out of here," Justin suggested as Liete came down from her hovering spot.  
  
"I'm not leaving without my sister!" Feena exclaimed. "Where is she, anyway?"  
  
"Over here!" Leen called out as she ran towards them with Mullen. They were both bleeding in various places on their bodies.  
  
"Where are the three sergeants?" Justin asked.  
  
"They...er...didn't make it," Leen answered, looking down at the ground.  
  
"Let's just get out of here," Feena suggested.  
  
They crept out into the street, hoping not to be spotted by one of the Battlers. Unfortunately, an entire group of Battlers was blocking their only escape from the city.  
  
"We might be able to sneak around them," Feena whispered.  
  
They sneaked behind a building, only to come across another Battler. It was gnawing on a bloody human torso that it held in its puny arms. It turned its head towards them and snarled, revealing fragments of flesh and bone wedged in between its bloodstained teeth.  
  
"We should all run," Justin said. "We should all run...NOW!!!"  
  
They turned and ran back the way they came, the Battler easily keeping up with them. The rest of the Battlers followed. They ran into the Mogay Villiage.  
  
"Quick! In-a here!" Guido shouted, motioning towards his house. He opened the door and let everyone in, then closed the door behind himself and locked it.  
  
All of a sudden, three screams rang out from the other side of the room. Justin turned around to see the sergeants cowering in a corner. "Didn't make it, huh?" he asked Leen sarcastically.  
  
"Hey, this was our first exposure to hand-to-hand combat!" Saki explained. "You never told us that it would be that violent!"  
  
"What do you think happens in hand-to-hand combat?" Justin sighed.  
  
The Battlers banged against the door, trying to get in.  
  
"What do we do?" Feena asked. "We're trapped!"  
  
A clawed foot kicked its way through the door. Scratching noises from above told them that some Battlers were now on the roof.  
  
Justin thought desperately for a plan. 'These new Battlers are immune to the Power of the Icarians,' he thought to himself. 'And the Power of the Hero and the Icarian won't work, either. Agron said so.' Suddenly, he remembered something else that Agron had told them.  
  
"Listen, guys," he began. "We might still be able to save our hides."  
  
"How?!" Mullen protested. "You saw what those things were like in battle. They were practically invincible!"  
  
"Maybe, but even the toughest things have a weakness or two. Why don't we give the Heroes and Icarians a chance?"  
  
"Justin, don't you remember what Agron told us?! These Battlers are immune to the Power of the Hero and Icarian!"  
  
"Yeah, he did say that. But, remember something else he said?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"There are TWO Heroes and TWO Icarians! And you're one of them, Mullen! Feena and I may not be able to take these guys alone. But if you and Leen help us, we'll be twice as strong as before!"  
  
A window shattered as a Battler rammed its head through it. They were running out of time!  
  
"What do you say, guys?" Justin asked.  
  
Mullen paused for a moment. "Okay, we'll try it," he finally replied. "But, if we die, don't you even think that I'll forgive you for this."  
  
The door suddenly broke from its hinges and fell to the ground. The Battlers rushed into the room, jaws wide open, eager to taste the blood of their next victims.  
  
"Do it, now!!" Justin hollered over the screeching of the Battlers.  
  
Feena and Leen both unfolded their wings of light, while Justin and Mullen drew their swords. What happened next was a complete surprise to everyone. It wasn't like when Justin and Feena alone used the Power. It was much different. A bright green and red light filled the entire room.  
  
Justin shielded his eyes against the blinding light, a warm, pleasant feeling surging through him. He opened his eyes as the light ceased, expecting to see thousands of dead and dying Battlers lying on the ground all around him. His eyes then filled with horror when he instead saw thousands of Battlers standing around him, unscathed.  
  
"Justin," Feena began. "It...didn't...work."  
  
Justin couldn't believe it. This was their only chance for survival, and they blew it. This was it. This was finally the end. But, the Battlers didn't attack them. They weren't even moving. They were too busy looking upwards at 'something'. Then, Justin heard a deep growling from behind him. Spinning around, he came face to face with an enormous dragon.  
  
The dragon was about fifty feet long, with scarlet colored scales covering its entire body, and long, golden spikes running down its back, which sported a pair of large, golden, bat-like wings. Its face was like that of a scaly, hairless lion, with a long pair of catfish-like whiskers.  
  
Justin and his accomplices were paralyzed with a mixture of awe and fear. They had encountered a dragon once in Gumbo Village, and it was downright nasty. This dragon, however, did not look malicious or dangerous. Even though it had long, sharp, and wicked-looking teeth and claws, this dragon was rather soothing and gentle in appearance.  
  
The dragon snorted, blowing a short spurt of smoke from its large, gaping nostrils. Justin decided to throw caution to the wind, and he walked slowly towards it.  
  
"Justin! Stop!" Feena shrieked. "Justin, are you insane?!"  
  
The dragon, however, only stared back at Justin. It lowered its giant head down to the ground, and rested it beside him. Justin slowly reached his hand out and stroked the dragon's head. It didn't feel reptilian at all. Its skin felt bumpy like a reptile's, but it also felt quite warm, indicating that it was not a reptile. 'Where'd he come from?' he thought to himself.  
  
Suddenly, the dragon raised its head and drew in a deep breath. It then opened its mouth wide, and an enormous, blue stream of flame was blasted out of it.  
  
Justin shut his eyes tightly as the inferno came down upon him. But, he didn't feel any burning. He opened his eyes, and they widened in amazement when he saw the flames licking his body. But he didn't feel any pain, none at all. He looked behind him and saw that Feena, Mullen, Leen, and the others were amid the flames as well, and they, too, were unscathed. The Battlers, however, were screeching in agony, like a thousand tormented souls. The dragon closed its mouth, and the flames disappeared. Neither Justin nor any of the others harmed by the dragon's breath, but the Battlers had all been reduced to smoldering ashes.  
  
It was then that Justin realized where the dragon came from. Justin, Feena, Mullen, and Leen had summoned it when they used the Power of the Heroes and Icarians.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	22. Fire Against Fire

CHAPTER 22:  
  
FIRE AGAINST FIRE  
  
Baal and Sethylos stood at the very top of Gaia, looking down upon the land below them.  
  
"Yes," Baal mused under his breath. "Zil Padon has fallen. The Heroes and Icarians are done for. Do you know what this means, Sethylos?"  
  
"Quite," he replied with a smirk on his face. "It means that we have won, my lord. With the Heroes and Icarians out of the way, there is nothing left to stop us."  
  
"Precisely. It is time for a new world to be born...my world. This world is finally my world. All mine."  
  
"Ours."  
  
"Yes...it's all finally mi-...come again?"  
  
"Ours, Baal. Didn't you say that we would share this planet, together?"  
  
"Oh, yes, that. Well, you see, Sethylos, I'm terribly sorry, but there are two problems that will make this whole sharing-of-the-world thing nearly impossible to carry out."  
  
"And what would that be?!"  
  
"Number one, I'm afraid that I am no longer in need of your service." Baal raised his hand up into the air, and Sethylos felt a strong, but brief, tug at his chest.  
  
Sethylos looked down, and his eyes and mouth opened wide in horror when he noticed that there was a large, gaping hole in the center of his chest. He looked back up at Baal to see him clutching Sethylos' beating heart in his raised hand.  
  
"Number two," Baal continued, with a maniacal grin on his face, "I was never big on sharing." He then squeezed the heart within his clutched hand, crushing it as if it were a tomato.  
  
Sethylos staggered on the spot, clutching his now heartless chest. With one last pitiful look at his master, he tumbled off the edge of Gaia, and hit the ground, two hundred feet below, with bone-crushing force.  
  
Justin stared at the ashes that were once Gaia Battlers. There were thousands of them, and every single one of them had been reduced to ashes. Clearly, they were now more of a match for Gaia.  
  
"You think we should go for it?" Feena asked. "Should we risk taking Gaia?"  
  
"Better now than ever!" Justin exclaimed. "Besides, we have to avenge Zil Padon!"  
  
Suddenly, the ground split open, and even more Battlers crawled out of it. Gaia had sent for reinforcements.  
  
"Go on!" Sue shouted at the Heroes and Icarians, readying her bow. "You guys have to go and stop Gaia!"  
  
Justin and Mullen gave Feena and Leen a leg up onto the dragon's back, and then climbed on themselves. "What about you guys?!" Justin exclaimed.  
  
"We'll hold them off!" Rapp answered, unsheathing his knife.  
  
"But...."  
  
"Just go, already!" Saki hollered.  
  
"Don't worry about us, we'll be okay," Liete assured them.  
  
Hesitantly, Justin grasped the dragon's scaly hide as it took off through the roof of Guido's house, leaving Sue, Rapp, Liete, Guido, and the sergeants behind to fend off the Battlers.  
  
Justin squinted his eyes as the wind whipped against his face. For such a large dragon, it was flying at surprising speed. It then flew into the cloud-cover, and Justin held on tightly as the dragon began to joyously whirl, twist, and leap among the clouds. Finally, Justin spotted Gaia towering over the land as the dragon dove down towards the nightmarish landmark.  
  
"I guess the dragon is supposed to just torch Gaia from the inside," Justin said, looking up at Gaia. "It makes enough sense."  
  
The dragon landed in the grassy meadow, and Justin and the others climbed off its back.  
  
"Try to find a way inside," Justin told his accomplices.  
  
However, it obviously wasn't going to be that simple. As they approached Gaia, the ground began to shake yet again as the base of Gaia slowly cracked and open, and a giant egg-shaped figure rolled out of it.  
  
Its membrane was leathery in texture, and completely covered in mucus-like slime. Many red and blue blood vessels encircled it, making it look like the back of an eyeball.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" Mullen wondered.  
  
He finally got his answer when the strange object began to twitch about, as if something was inside it. Then, a large claw ripped through the membrane from the inside of it, and a jet of the mucus-like slime shot out of the opening. Another claw ripped through, and it sliced all the way down the length of the object. Finally, a creature burst out of the enormous slit and collapsed onto the ground. After it dried itself off in the sunlight, it slowly stood itself up.  
  
It was another dragon. But this one wasn't like Justin's beautiful, scarlet Spirit Dragon. This one was all black, and more serpent-like in appearance. Its eyes seemed lifeless, as if they were made of glass. It even had a forked tongue, which flicked in and out of its evil-looking mouth.  
  
The Gaia Dragon took in a deep breath, preparing to breathe fire. "Oh my God!!!" Justin screamed as he shut his eyes, expecting to feel himself being reduced to ashes. But he never was. Opening his eyes, he saw the Spirit Dragon sinking its teeth into the Gaia Dragon's throat. The Gaia Dragon emitted an ear-splitting roar of pain as it attempted to pry the Spirit Dragon off of itself. When it finally did, the Gaia Dragon lost all interest in the humans, and focused instead on the Spirit Dragon.  
  
The two dragons began to circle around each other like enormous sumo wrestlers in the ring. With their backs arched and scales raised like a pair of angry cats, they bared their teeth at each other and growled fiercely.  
  
Then, and without warning, the Gaia Dragon flung its open jaws towards the Spirit Dragon, but snapped down onto nothing but air as the Spirit Dragon quickly evaded.  
  
The Spirit Dragon swung its heavy tail at the Gaia Dragon's head, knocking it to the ground. It then leaped upon the Gaia Dragon, but was quickly thrown back off with a hard kick to the belly.  
  
The Gaia Dragon lunged for the Spirit Dragon again, but again missed as the Spirit Dragon took off into the air. The Gaia Dragon followed, of course.  
  
The Spirit Dragon hovered in midair, waiting for the Gaia Dragon to catch up. When it finally did, the Spirit Dragon dove down towards it, but the Gaia Dragon narrowly dodged the assault and grabbed onto the Spirit Dragon's back and began to chew on the back of its head. As the Spirit Dragon tried and tried again to remove the other from its back, the Gaia Dragon dove down full speed to the ground, still holding onto the Spirit Dragon. With an earth-shattering collision, the Spirit Dragon was slammed into the ground, nearly finishing it off. The Gaia Dragon turned the Spirit Dragon over onto its back, and took in a deep breath. It wasn't only about to breathe fire, it was about to end the battle.  
  
But then, the Spirit Dragon raised its foreleg, and shoved one of its claws into one of the Gaia Dragon's eye. The Spirit Dragon then kicked the Gaia Dragon off of itself as it shrieked in agony.  
  
Rising in anger, the Gaia Dragon opened its mouth, and a blue flame blasted towards the Spirit Dragon. However, since it was now lacking an eye, the Gaia Dragon's aim was thrown off, and the flame narrowly missed the Spirit Dragon. Roaring in complete fury, the Gaia Dragon threw itself onto the Spirit Dragon again, and sank its fangs into its shoulder.  
  
Shrieking in pain, the Spirit Dragon pulled at the Gaia Dragon's head, trying desperately to pry it off of itself. Finally managing to do so, the Spirit Dragon bit down onto the Gaia Dragon's head and twisted it. There was a sound like a large tree cracking as the Gaia Dragon's neck broke, and it fell dead onto the ground.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	23. Surprise Attack

CHAPTER 23:  
SURPRISE ATTACK  
  
With the Gaia Dragon out of the way, the Heroes, Icarians, and their faithful dragon headed for the enormous tower that was Gaia. Finding what used to be the metal doors of J Base, they headed inside. Once again, they found themselves within the dark chambers of Gaia itself. Groping along the slimy walls, while being careful to avoid those enormous tentacles, they headed deeper and deeper, climbing higher and higher.  
  
"So," Justin began. "All we have to do is travel to the Gaia Core, and let the dragon torch it, right?"  
  
"I seriously doubt it will be that easy, Justin," Feena replied. "You remember what it was like last time we were inside Gaia. I still remember. It always seems like the walls are whispering to each other about you. And then you think that you hear laughter...cold, evil laughter. But there is no laughter. There's just the sound of your heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat. Then, as you go deeper and deeper, the light gets darker, and the air gets thinner, and your skin gets colder, until you can hardly breathe. It begins to feel as if the walls are closing in around you, and some invisible hand is clutching your throat, and the only thing you care about in the whole world is to find a way out so you can see the light of day again, and breathe the fresh air again. And all you can do is try to ignore it all, and pray to God that you don't go insane."  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, the group decided to take a rest, a very risky decision to make while inside an enormous tower that was also the bringer of death.  
  
"We should have been there by now," Feena said to herself. "I have a very bad feeling about this."  
  
Justin had to admit that he was feeling the same way. Something just didn't seem right to him, like someone, or something, was watching him. "We should probably get going," he announced.  
  
As they got up, though, Justin heard something in the distance. Footsteps. The sound was definitely that of heavy footsteps, slowly coming his way. The footsteps gradually grew louder and faster, as if whomever they belonged to was speeding up to a run. Justin then heard the unmistakable sound of a large sword being unsheathed. Looking towards his right, he saw a large figure running towards him.  
  
"Look out!!!" he hollered as he dodged the blade that came down at him. Turning around, he looked straight into the face of Baal.  
  
"Time to end our little adventure," Baal remarked with a maniacal grin as Justin and all three of his accomplices readied their weapons. Baal charged towards Justin with his sword raised and brought it crashing down upon his blade.  
  
Mullen instinctively raised his sword and sliced it straight through Baal's arm, which fell to the ground. To his surprise, Baal didn't even seem to be in pain. He just stared at Mullen, then looked down at the bloody knob that used to be his left arm. He looked back up at Mullen and smiled evilly.  
  
Baal kicked the useless arm aside. In a few seconds, the knob hanging from his left shoulder began to grow. It grew longer and longer, until, finally, it had grown into a new arm. "Insignificant little insect!" he bellowed, and he raised his hand up to Mullen and psychically sent him flying across a room.  
  
Leen ran up and shoved her saber straight through Baal's torso. Baal just struck the side of her head with the back of his broad hand, knocking her off her feet. He then pulled the saber out of his body, which now had a hole so deep that you could look through the other side, until it shrank and disappeared.  
  
Justin leaped into the air with his sword raised and swung it through Baal's neck. His head fell down to the ground and rolled into the darkness. "That had to work," Justin thought to himself.  
  
Baal's body swayed on the spot. It seemed to have worked. His body was growing weaker and weaker. But then, the headless neck that stuck up from the top of the body began to grow. It bulged at the top, and when it had finished growing, Baal once again had a head. He grabbed Justin by the throat and raised his sword.  
  
Just as he was about to bring it down, though, Feena leaped up and wrapped her arms around Baal's large wrist. She held on with all her might to keep Baal from killing Justin.  
  
But Baal had other plans. He grabbed Feena by the hair and pulled her off his arm. Letting go of Justin's throat, he threw her against a wall. "You, I've had enough of," he growled into Feena's face. Still pinning her against the wall, he raised his sword and shoved it through her body.  
  
Feena let out an ear-splitting scream of agony as cold steel ripped through flesh and vital organs. But Baal just kept pushing the sword through her, until the tip of the blade was poking out of her back.  
  
"Get the hell off her!!!" Justin screamed as he charged towards Baal.  
  
Baal pulled the sword from Feena's torso, letting her fall to the floor in a heap. As Justin swung his sword, Baal caught Justin by the wrist holding the sword. He squeezed it with all his might, causing Justin as much pain as possible, causing him to drop the Spirit Sword. Baal picked the Spirit Sword up off the ground and raised it up into the air. "Now, you die," he laughed with a crazy smile upon his face. But as Baal held the Spirit Sword, he thought that he smelled something burning. Then, he heard the sizzling of burning flesh. Finally, he felt intense burning upon the hand holding the Spirit Sword. It felt as if he were holding his hand against a hot grill. Screaming in pain, he dropped the Spirit Sword, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter. Looking at the palm of his hand, he saw that it was red and swollen, and covered in blisters, and the texture of the hilt of the Spirit Sword had been burned into his flesh. The Spirit Sword was filled with far two much goodness for Baal to touch it. Frightened, Baal ran off into the darkness.  
  
Justin ran up to Feena and scooped her up into his arms. Her blood was literally all over the place. Justin looked down at her. She was barely alive.  
  
"J-Justin...." she muttered, as a small trickle of blood poured out of the corner of her mouth.  
  
"No, no! Don't talk, Feena," Justin told her, wiping the blood away with his sleeve. "Y-you need your strength."  
  
"It...doesn't...matter. It...It's...too...late...for...me."  
  
"N-no, Feena! I...I won't believe that. Come on! We've got to get you to a doct...."  
  
"We're...too...far...away...from...help. You...won't...make...it...in...time. I...I...can...already...feel...myself...slipping...away."  
  
"Don't say that! You're...you're going to be fine!"  
  
Feena paused for a second. "P...promise...me...Justin."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Promise...me...that...no...matter...what...you...won't...give...up. You...and...the...others...can...still...defeat...Gaia.  
  
"We can't do this without you! Feena, hold on!"  
  
"Promise...me...Justin. I...I...love...you."  
  
And then, she was gone. Justin looked down at Feena as he held her body in his arms. Even in death she was beautiful. A tear silently rolled down Justin's cheek, something that never happened to him in a very long time. Knowing that there was nothing he could do, he bent down, planted one last kiss on Feena's lips, and walked off into the darkness, towards the core of Gaia.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	24. The Final Showdown

CHAPTER 24:  
  
THE FINAL SHOWDOWN  
  
Justin tried in vain to hold back his tears, but it was no use. Feena, the only girl who he ever loved, and the only girl who ever loved him, was gone. He knew that it was useless to deny it. He had seen her death with his own eyes, and now he kept seeing it in his mind over and over again. It was sheer torture. He felt as if he couldn't go on without her. In fact, he really couldn't go on without her. Without Feena, their revolt against Gaia would be completely worthless. But then, something very unpredictable happened. He heard voice.  
  
"J...Justin?" said the weak voice from behind him.  
  
Justin stopped in his tracks and spun around. "No way," he breathed in disbelief. The voice belonged to Feena! Justin ran up to her body at full speed. He looked down at Feena to see her alive. Her pale, icy skin was becoming tan and warm again. He looked down at the impalement within her torso. Right before his eyes, it was slowly shrinking and shrinking until it was gone. Justin bent down and scooped her upper body up into his arms.  
  
"Do...you...believe...in...miracles...Justin?" she asked, smiling warmly.  
  
"But...how...is...this...possible?!" Justin stammered. Then, he remembered something Agron had told him. They hadn't defeated Gaia yet. Feena came back from the dead because her work wasn't done yet, just like Leen.  
  
"I guess this means that I really am one of the Chosen Ones," Feena remarked, regaining strength.  
  
After Mullen and Leen regained consciousness, all four, plus dragon, headed towards the center of Gaia. Finally, almost eight hours later, they reached the Core, the very nucleus, brain, and control center of Gaia itself.  
  
"I guess we just let the dragon torch it," Justin announced.  
  
Almost immediately after he said this, the dragon charged towards the ugly mass of neurons, leaped, and clung to it with its claws. It began to rip at it with its ox horn-sized claws, and sword-like fangs. Leaping back onto the ground, it then spread out all four of its legs, took in a deep breath, and blasted the monstrosity with its enormous, blue-and-white- colored flame. Finally closing its mouth, the panting dragon surveyed the damage it had done. There wasn't any.  
  
"Stubborn little bastard, eh?" Justin remarked angrily, and he charged towards the Core and flung his sword at it. The blade just bounced off of it.  
  
Then, the Core began to vibrate, and out of a valve in its base came a yellowish, steaming liquid.  
  
To see what this strange liquid actually did, Feena hurled her knife into it. Almost immediately, the knife began to melt as if it were a stick of butter on a hotplate.  
  
"Acid!" Leen exclaimed. "It's some sort of defense mechanism!"  
  
Then, the dragon began to flame the Core once again.  
  
"Why is that dragon still doing that?" Justin asked. "It doesn't work!"  
  
"Justin," Feena spoke up, obviously getting an idea. "Why don't we try the Power of the Heroes and Icarians while the dragon breathes fire."  
  
"I'm about to try anything now that acid is beginning to flood the room!" he replied.  
  
And with that, the Icarians unfolded their wings, the Heroes charged with their swords raised, and the dragon continued to breathe fire, all at the same time. There was a blindingly bright light, and the Heroes, Icarians, and the dragon, found themselves back in the grassy meadow, facing Gaia.  
  
Gaia began to shake and moan continuously. There was a flash of light, a sound like an explosion, and the tower of Gaia began to shrink down and down back into the crater at the top of J-Base.  
  
The chosen ones ran up to the crater and peered inside as Gaia began to shrink faster and faster, like an enormous sinking ship. There was a final burst of light, and then, all was quiet. Looking down into the crater, they saw the horned egg-like capsule that Gaia started out as.  
  
"It...it's...over," Feena stammered. "It's finally over!!" she exclaimed happily, and wrapped her arms around Justin's neck. Leen, also filled with joy, did the same to Mullen.  
  
"Oh, really," a cold voice said from behind them. It was Baal. "You four worms may have defeated Gaia. But...you still haven't...defeated...ME!!! All I have to do is obtain that egg and resurrect Gaia once again! But, first...I think...I'll...kill you all! Taste my wrath!!" And he charged at full speed with a maniacal grin.  
  
The Heroes and Icarians readied their weapons, and the dragon's spines bristled. All four, plus dragon, attacked at the same time, but none of them did any lasting damage, for Baal just kept regenerating and healing himself.  
  
"You invertebrates are no match for me!" Baal boasted. "I am invincible!!!"  
  
Just then, at least a hundred lights came down from the clouds. They danced around like fireflies, illuminating the night sky. They came down and danced among the Heroes and Icarians, filling the air with a warm feeling. They were Spirits. They then danced around the Spirit Dragon, and it made a soft gurgling noise, as if the Spirits and the dragon knew each other. Then the Spirits flew down and surrounded Baal, but they weren't dancing this time.  
  
"What's this?" Baal asked himself, confused. "A bunch of mindless lights think that they can stop me?! That's just hilarious. What are you all planning to do, blink me to death?" Baal laughed coldly into the night. "Well, come on then! Give me your worst!"  
  
The Spirits then seemed to become angry. They all grew in size and changed to a reddish-orange in color, and they began to vibrate rapidly, as if hopping up and down.  
  
Baal's smile faded from his face. None of the humans had ever seen Spirits behave like this.  
  
Once seeming playful and harmless, the Spirits now seemed scary and chilling. Then, one at a time, they each shot straight towards Baal, and when they did, they each went through him.  
  
Baal began screaming as if in pain, and then, his body started smoking. Then, to everyone's surprise, Baal then caught fire. His body was now completely in flames.  
  
The Spirit Dragon then moved towards him, and opened its jaws.  
  
Baal looked up, only to see the dragon's gaping jaws coming down upon him. He screamed louder than ever as the dragon wrapped its jaws around his body and tossed him into the air.  
  
Snapping him up again in midair, the dragon then opened its mouth wider and tipped its head back, allowing Baal to slip down its throat. Good had conquered, and consumed, evil.  
  
The Spirits then seemed to become happy again. They shrank in size, became white again, and resumed dancing once more.  
  
Just then, the Spirit Dragon began to illuminate, and the Spirits danced around it. The dragon then materialized into a beam of light, and flew into the blade of Justin's Spirit Sword.  
  
The Heroes and Icarians then heard a voice as the light that was once the Spirit Dragon flew into the sword. It was a deep, but soothing voice, which they each heard within their own heads. The voice must have belonged to the dragon, and it said these words: "Remember, Chosen Ones. The true Power of the Heroes and the Icarians lies not within the wings or the swords. The true Power lies...within your very hearts.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	25. Aftermath

CHAPTER 25:  
  
AFTERMATH  
  
It was over. It was all finally over. The Heroes and Icarians headed back to Zil Padon, which was already being rebuilt.  
  
"You think the others made it?" Justin asked Feena, not knowing what to expect.  
  
"Why don't-a you turn around and-a find out!" came a voice from behind him.  
  
Justin spun around to look Guido, Sue, Rapp, Liete, and the three sergeants in the faces. They were all okay. They were covered with numerous cuts and bleeding in several areas, but they were all okay.  
  
"You did it, guys!" Sue exclaimed, leaping up and wrapping her arms around Justin's waist, knocking him to the ground.  
  
"I guess we did, didn't we?" he replied, rubbing his now sore buttocks.  
  
"You certainly did," came another familiar voice.  
  
"Agron!" Justin exclaimed, as he caught sight of the little old man. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, once I heard that Gaia has truly been defeated, I decided to come and see if it was true. I didn't tell the Uolegnanians, of course. They wouldn't be too happy if they found out that their god had been vanquished by a group of mortals. But, I'm afraid that they won't last too long anyway, now that their leader, Sethylos, has been slain by the very man he was serving." He then put on a solemn face.  
  
"Hey, Agron...I've been wondering...where did that dragon come from?  
  
"Ah, yes, the legendary Spirit Dragon. If you want to know the answer to that question, I recommend that you take a look at this." He reached into a pocket in his robes and pulled out a hand-sized stone slab. "I found this in an Angelounian ruin, not far from here. Have a look. But, be careful, it is very old, and therefore, very fragile." He handed the artifact to Justin.  
  
Justin examined the pictograph closely. Carefully chiseled into the stone was a weather-worn picture of Gaia, and standing around it were two Icarians, along with two Heroes. And, emerging from the light produced by the Heroes' swords, and the Icarians' wings, was the fierce, but gentle Spirit Dragon, and it was blowing its flame at the evil Gaia. "Wow," was all Justin could say.  
  
"So," Justin asked Feena later on in the day. "You ready for another adventure?"  
  
"Justin," she began. "Don't you think we could rest first? After what we've just been through, I think I need about a week to recuperate!"  
  
"Oh, okay," he replied, laughing. "But, after that, will you then be ready for that other adventure?"  
  
"Of course," she answered, smiling. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
"What about you, Sue?"  
  
"Well, I don't know. Aunt Lilly must be getting rather lonely. I think I'll go back to Parm and keep her company. But, thanks for letting me go with you all the way this time."  
  
"No, problem. And guess what? You didn't faint once!"  
  
"No, I didn't, did I?" she giggled.  
  
"What about you, Rapp?"  
  
"Sorry, but I don't think so."  
  
"Rapp, why the long face?"  
  
"Ah, I just got word that my grandfather is on his death bed. I've got to go back and take his place on the throne."  
  
"Well...I guess...all I can say is...good luck."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Later on, Justin and Feena met Mullen and Leen as they were loading a large crate, containing the egg-capsule of Gaia, onto a new Garlyle airship.  
  
"You think someone will try to resurrect Gaia again?" Justin asked.  
  
"I certainly hope not," Mullen replied. "It can't be destroyed, but don't worry. We're taking it to a hidden Garlyle base with very tight security, so we can keep an eye on it. It'll be safe, there. No one will ever be able to resurrect Gaia again."  
  
"But, what if, supposedly, someone does?"  
  
"That...is not an option, Justin."  
  
That night, in their tent, Justin and Feena were lying awake in their sleeping bag, their arms wrapped around each other. There was something that Justin felt he needed to do, right now, at this very moment.  
  
"Feena," he began.  
  
"Hmm?" she replied.  
  
"There's...something...that I need to...to ask you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, this isn't going to be easy for me to ask."  
  
"I'll be patient."  
  
"Uh...o...okay. Um...Feena...would I...uh, I mean...can you...uh, what I'm trying to say is...you don't have to, if you don't want to...."  
  
"Justin, what is it?"  
  
He took a deep breath to calm himself down. After defeating Gaia, this should be easy, he thought to himself. "Feena...." he started over. "W- will...will you...will you...marry...me?"  
  
Feena's smile vanished from her face. She just stared at him, which made Justin feel very uncomfortable.  
  
Justin felt like kicking himself. He must have sounded like such an idiot to her just now. "Uh, never mind, Feena. Forget anything I just said...."  
  
"Yes," she interrupted.  
  
"Er, excuse me?"  
  
"Yes," she repeated, and her smile returned to her face. "Yes!" she cried with joy, and she leaped onto Justin and began kissing his lips so hard that he bit his lip, which actually felt good, for once.  
  
Justin couldn't believe it. Now, they truly would be together forever. For the rest of the night, he held his fiancé in his arms. This had to be the happiest night of his life.  
  
THE END  
  
Well, there you have it, my very first fanfic. And I can guarantee you that it won't be my last. I had lots of fun writing this. Sorry it took longer than I anticipated. I would like to thank another author at fanfiction.com, Ms. Ariana Aislinn, who, without her, my story wouldn't be as easy to read. Thanks, Ariana!  
  
My next fanfic will be in the Harry Potter section of this website, so check for me there! I have a great story planned for Harry and his friends. But first, review this story, please! Every review makes a difference, so, review, everyone! Not to sound greedy, but I want to drown in reviews! See ya later! 


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